The older my parents get, the more I find myself holding tight to our family history.

My parents are both in their 80s. And while they’re both in good health (for which I’m grateful!) I know they won’t be around forever. 

Their house is filled with old photographs and home movies — buried in boxes, albums, and closets. 

I want my children, and maybe their children, to know the stories behind those photos.

Because unless we make the conscious choice to pass on these memories, how will they live on? 

How will my kids know our family history?

Going through dozens of shoeboxes of old photographs with my 80-year-old parents seemed like a project that would take a full summer.

That is, until I found iMemories — then it took all of 15 minutes.

The Easiest Way to Preserve Family History 

iMemories was the exact service I was looking for, and took almost no time at all. 

I signed up for the iMemories “SafeShip Kit” online, which was shipped to my door.

I went to my parents house, all but DUMPED boxes upon boxes of photographs into it, and shipped it back. 

The entire process took all of 15 minutes! 

iMemories ALL our family memories into digital form — I didn’t have to do a thing.

When they sent the digital files back to me, I burned a DVD for my parents to enjoy (personally, I like to look at our memories on my devices!). 

Now, they can enjoy these old videos and photos whenever they like — right from the comfort of their living room.

How I Passed Down Our Family Story to My Children (With Zero Effort)

My favorite part of this experience was sharing these photos with my children. All three generations (me, my parents, and my kids) watched the DVD together. 

Think about it: How many children get to hear their grandparents’ life story? If I hadn’t used iMemories, these memories could have vanished with my parents.

My parents were born in the late ‘30s. 

They lived through WWII, felt the aftermath of The Great Depression, and watched as we entered The Cold War.

From my parents’ living room, my kids watched their grandparents’ lives unfold alongside major events in history. 

My family is from Pittsburgh, a steel town, and my dad told us about his dad (my grandfather) working in the steel mills during WWII.

When a photo appeared of my father as a young boy at the Pittsburgh train station, he said, “They painted that entire building black during the war, because they were afraid it would get bombed. After the war, they forgot about it — and all those stained glass windows stayed painted black for years.” 

I didn’t even know that!

I’m almost embarrassed how little I knew about my parents’ lives before I was born. 

Had we not gone through this experience with iMemories, I never would have discovered the answers to questions I never thought to ask.

Memories Fade – And So Do Photographs and Film

I can’t express how relieved I made the decision to digitize our family history when I did.

Not only am I grateful for the experience — for hearing the stories straight from my parents — but I’m grateful I did this project now. 

The more I read online about digitizing old memories, the more I realized how fragile these items are. 

Old photographs and VHS tapes can easily become worn or damaged as the years go on. 

This project is something I’ve been putting off for years. If I waited any longer, who knows if I would have had anything left to salvage. 

If I waited another ten years to finally transfer these photos and videos to digital form, I’m sure some would have been lost. 

Don’t Store Old Memories — Preserve Them For Years to Come

Not only did iMemories save my family memories forever, they actually IMPROVED them. 

Their experts enhance old photos and videos — FOR FREE. Those photos look better than they ever did stuffed in an old album. 

And for those of you wondering, yes they return your original memories. 

They’re a very professional, trusted company — after digitizing over 15 MILLION memories, they have yet to damage or lose a single one. 

Plus, having our family history easily accessible online, on our TVs, or even in our smartphones is so much more convenient. 

No longer are these photos buried in closets where no one can enjoy them. Instead, they are at our fingertips or even in our pockets — literally. 

I think every family should preserve their family history through iMemories.

If we don’t share these stories, how will they be passed on? How will our loved ones be remembered? 

Stuffed in boxes, or buried in basements in closets? 

In old letters we’ll never open?

Every person should know where they come from.