In the hectic pace of daily life, we often overlook the importance of soaking up meaningful memories with family photos and videos. Until a time of personal crisis strikes and we long for photos and videos to remember the face and voice we knew.
Amy Vanden Berg is a good friend and colleague with personal insights to share about how storing and organizing photos brought comfort during a family loss.
Photos Accessed at a Moment’s Notice
Amy Vanden Berg, photo coach
When Amy Vanden Berg received news that her father had unexpectedly passed away just before his 70th birthday, she was deeply grieved but found comfort in the photos and videos of his life—securely stored in one easy-to-access place.
She and her siblings were able to collaborate their photos and other cherished memories as they prepped for his memorial service. They scrolled effortlessly through almost 500 photos and created a slideshow in just a few hours.
A printed photo book honoring her father, shown above, was easy to create, too.
It was a bittersweet time, a celebration of a life lived well and a time to enjoy the most meaningful memories that were already organized and permanently stored.
Amy and her family didn’t have to worry about where they’d find the photos and videos.
“It was a time filled with trauma and shock,” says Amy. “But we didn’t have to worry about finding old photos and memories since they were already safely stored and organized and available in our great time of need.”
All of her family memories, including those of her beloved father, are stored on a digital platform, FOREVER®, a complete memory-keeping system. Family photos, slides, and home movies that were taken decades earlier had already been digitized and were as accessible as photos and videos taken on Amy’s smartphone.
Amy’s photo book of her father was easily created from photos stored on FOREVER
Photo Therapy and Photo Guilt
Amy, a photo coach, recognized that looking at her father’s photos was highly therapeutic during that season of grief.
Amy posing with her father in a cherished memory
“Looking at photos brings joy, even when bitter sweet. It is during a time of loss that you realize how priceless your memories are. The true value of the photo is only fully found when it is all you have left of the one you love.”
Amy knows her experience of loss is not unique to her. Many people have shared in the death of a loved one, yet conversely people are often plagued by what she calls “photo guilt.”
“Photo stress, photo mess, and photo guilt are something I talk about with my friends and clients. We all take too many pictures, and we don’t know what to do with them.”
Amy says we know that posting photos on social media in hopes of preserving them is actually unsettling.
“We throw a few on social media and we hope that’s good enough. But we don’t really trust social media. We know it’s not a real safe platform and it’s not a long-term plan, but it’s good enough for now.”
Gaining Control Using a Peace of Mind Solution
Amy overcame the uneasy feeling of having memories scattered when she personally started using FOREVER® in 2015.
She saw how she could have photos and videos:
- Beautifully organized
- Easily accessible for her friends and family
- Stored in one place alongside older media files
- Guaranteed storage for a lifetime, plus 100 years and beyond
Amy’s family can share their father’s memories in many ways including streaming video
Sharing with her brothers and sister was simple.
“FOREVER® is also a neutral platform that works with Apple or Android users. Most families are divided between the two. I was so grateful I could easily share pictures with my sister and brothers and we were able to create a collaborative photobook of my father’s life.”
The result was that Amy had easy access to important pictures when she needed them during a sudden crisis.
Steady Organizing in FOREVER®
Amy urges families to begin placing their most meaningful memories in order when they’re not under pressure.
“I was so glad that my dad’s photos were easily available. You don’t want to wait until tragedy strikes and you have to go scrambling for those moments that you know are in a box, in the back of a closet somewhere.”
Amy says it was “refreshing and liberating” that when the family needed the photos, “there they were.”
Some of the memories of her father are also stored on her mother’s account. FOREVER® makes it easy to share with other family members and friends, even if they don’t have their own account.
It’s possible to fully document a life.
“It’s not just the photos but also the videos, the childhood memories we’ve had on VHS tapes and that have been digitized through FOREVER®. They’re all in my mom’s account and any of her kids or grandkids can go in at any time and watch them. Since my dad’s passing over a year ago, my brother told me that his kids have been watching the old home movies as regularly as they watch Netflix.
They love getting to see their dad when he was young, and getting to hear grandpa’s voice whenever they want is the real gift that keeps giving. You don’t realize how important it is to have those memories available until you lose someone you love.”
The FOREVER® permanent storage solution connects generations.
Amy’s organized and securely stored photos made sharing memories easy
A Service of Kindness
FOREVER® doesn’t just offer a product, but also offers a service through Ambassadors like Amy.
As a photo coach, she intentionally comes alongside her clients and helps them clear their clutter. She’s empathetic and enjoys helping them find a specific need.
“Getting started is daunting, but that’s what Ambassadors are for. I’m here to help my clients figure out where they want to start and then break down their goals into bite-size, doable pieces.”
She looks for a “soft spot” with those she’s helping like a family member they’re especially close to or a trip they recently took.
“It is a simple as identifying something specific and just starting there.”
Amy has learned that the more you use this platform, the more you realize how FOREVER® is a powerful solution that’s guaranteed and you will want to access all the parts to it.
Storing Photos in Logical Order
Users can easily create albums in categories such as travel. Then creating sub-albums, also referred to as nested albums, for the specific dates and places where you’ve traveled to.
Pre-planning is helpful and can be a great asset.
Amy helped a client who was going on vacation set up a main album and nested albums before going on the trip. Photos and videos could easily be uploaded through the FOREVER® app, saving space on a smartphone or other device.
“This way you don’t come home and have 2,000 photos to sort through,” says Amy. “You can choose your photos each day and upload to the FOREVER® album you created.”
The win is in the fact that you won’t feel overwhelmed and are better able to celebrate the time you’ve had and the memories you’ve made.
Amy guides people through the platform and the learning curve.
Clients tell her that the platform is user-friendly and fun to use.
FOREVER is a complete memory-keeping system
FOREVER is a complete memory-keeping system
Memories for the Long-Term
Organizing photos is more than just a personal hobby that Amy turned into a business. It’s more lasting.
“This is about creating a legacy for my family so my kids, their kids, and my great-grandkids can access the memories of their heritage.”
Amy summarizes FOREVER® as four products and services:
- Storage that allows users to own rather than rent a private, permanent and secure space.
- Digitization for outdated old media files that can be brought back to life in current formats
- Quality printed photobooks and other print-gift options
- Ambassadorship that allows you to become part of the program and start your own business
Amy is Here to Help
Amy enjoys showing others how to erase photo guilt using FOREVER®
Amy’s goal is keeping her personal photo organizing and business simple while maintaining consistent actions.
It’s an achievement with four children whom she homeschools, a husband in law enforcement, and many other life commitments.
She’ll gladly show you how she uses FOREVER® and how you can, too.
It’s easy and it’s FREE! Try it out with 2GB of free storage and endless opportunities.
And if you’d like to know about being a photo coach as a business that fits your lifestyle, Amy would love to share her knowledge and experience with you!
Contact Amy: amyvberg21@gmail.com
Or
Sign-up here Amy Vanden Berg, FOREVER®.
