by Sandy Fox

A special project I did in memory of my daughter was a slide/music show on the computer. This is something you may want to do. You can look at it anytime, when the memories overwhelm you, or when friends and relatives come over who would appreciate seeing it.

I started out by going through every album I have from birth to death and chose the pictures I thought represented her life through candid action shots of activities she was involved in, trips she took, boyfriends she had, honors she won, and of course, family posed pictures. I wanted them to have her laughing, smiling and sometimes serious…as she was. Seeing all those pictures brought back so many good memories. I limited it down to around 50 photos (a very hard task). This can be adjusted, depending on how long the music is that you choose. But you want it to match perfectly and can start with too many and cut as you edit. Each picture should be on the screen for no more than 5-6 seconds. I think I did a picture every 4 seconds so I could get more in the time space I had. But any less time than that…you’ll get a headache trying to see everything in the photos before the next one comes up.

Next, I pondered about the music. Should it be a song she loved? One I loved? Should it have lyrics or just be instrumental? Should it be upbeat or slow and meaningful? I ended up choosing “St. Elmo’s Fire,” an upbeat instrumental song that reminded me of Marcy and seemed to go with all the pictures.

If the pictures were already on the computer, all the easier to separate out. If not, I scanned them into the computer. I tried to get them to be around the same size and not too far away. The face was the most important aspect. They were then put in age order. I am not a computer expert, but fortunately my husband is, so he put together the pictures and music to fit perfectly with a special program he has on his computer. It is a program anyone can purchase and download, such as iMovie, already available on most Macs. Or you can have a professional do it for you.

I liked the way it turned out so much that I ended up doing one for my step-dad also and gave a copy to my step-brother. For this one I used the music Brian’s Song, a much softer, gentler type of music that match the man much better. You will know when the music is right for your subject and the pictures you have.

I wish you all luck if you do this project. It is rewarding, and I know you will be happy with the results.

Tags: grief, hope, signs and connections