emotional triggers when you hear a voice

Chris Favorito: I don't really remember picking apples so much, but I do remember my cousin dragging me out to a party that weekend and having a miserable time. 1969 photo by Manny Favorito.

Creating video memoirs can be as simple as recording someone’s voice while they page through a photo album.

I used this technique with my brother in-law Chris when I saw him in August last year.  I set up my microphone  and prepared myself to hear a great story about his memories of being a kid from New York City, picking apples with his cousins in Pennsylvania.

Funny. The story I got didn't match the photo we started with. He said he didn't really remember much about picking apples, but he sure remembered his unhappiness at a party he went to that same weekend. As I listened, I learned about what his life was like as a teenager in 1969. I learned he was independent at a young age. I listened to his voice and better understood his values, his personality and sense of humor. He drew me in.

Tragically, Chris died after a brief illness recently and I can’t bring myself to listen to the audio recording right now. Not yet. But I will. And I will share it with our family, his grandchildren, niece and nephews.

I’m so grateful I recorded his voice in August. We will treasure hearing it again when we’re steady enough to listen.