Tears Of Joy Video - Family Stories

"The great gift of family life is to be intimately acquainted with people you might never even introduce yourself to, had life not done it for you." ~Kendall Hailey

Family; some consider it a gift, but with other relatives you just shake your head and wonder how you could be related. But one thing is for sure, having a family is one of the things that makes life interesting and in most cases, worth living. If you have a close knit family, it is a priceless gift. They are your most intimate friends and there to root for you in good times or bad.

If you are like us, your family stories are dear to your heart. They are your past, your present and your future. They are what make you, you. What is true in most families, is that there are certain relatives that are better storytellers than others. They may be considered your family historians, knowing stories about all members of the family. If you have someone like that in your family, don't wait another moment. Get those stories on video or at least voice recorded. Because once that relative is gone, the stories die. That is why our service at Tears of Joy Video becomes so priceless to our customers. With ourfamily historyvideos-biography videos-Tribute Video-Memorial Videos-Family Yearbook Videos-Vacation Videos, we capture all the special moments of you and your family so you can share these stories with future generations.

Take a few moments to view or read our contributed family stories. Maybe it will inspire you to contribute a family story of your own. Also take a look at our family resource center, with a list of business that may be a help to your family. Finally don't forget to look at the many ways we can take your pictures and home movies and create a montage that will capture your family stories.

We help save your family stories on video. See How.

A Childs' Memories Of a Pacific Northwest Winter

Back about a year and a half ago when my grandchild Jordyn Alyssa was almost seven she and I went on a afternoon journey. Grandpa lived in Hutto, Tx at that time and there is a great little creek near us off of hwy 685 south of Hutto. I had driven over the bridge and glanced off to the west many times telling myself i need to stop sometime and walk back along the creek. I decided to do just that and being that Jordyn my precious grand-girl was with me and knew this time we needed to take that walk along the creek together.

The name is Brushy Creek and when it rains a lot its becomes a raging force of water. Several people have had to be rescued from its boiling waters when heavy rains have occurred. However, this day was a wonderful fall October afternoon and it was just the perfect time of year to do a trail walk.

We pulled up along the side of the road and jumped out and headed back to the area where we could slide down a small path and start our journey along the south side of Brushy Creek. The weather was just beautiful and Jordyn immediately took her shoes off and starting wading into the cool, clear, moving water. Grandpa had just remembered to bring his camera and of course I got busy and took a picture of her heading out into the water. The smile on her face told a story in its self. She was in her own little world and seems so at home wading about.

We continued on down the creek to a large cement area that formed a bridge almost over the entire creek. Grandpa took more pictures of Jordyn sitting on the rock, holding some wild flowers she had picked, holding onto a tree branch. Every picture turned out so perfect just like a photo shot. As she had been in a beauty contest earlier in her life, the child just had a natural way to pose for these beautiful outdoor scenes.

Grandpa took over a dozen photos of my beautiful bi-racial child that day. I replied that the Indians used to roam these areas and probably camped and fished along this creek. Grandpa, Jordyn exclaimed, "I'M part Indian, you know!", "Yes, Jordyn I know you are part Cherokee on both sides of our family.

As we wandered back down the creek towards the car, Jordyn again waded into the bubbling water, she slowly turned to Grandpa and said, "Grandpa, you have made this a very memorable day for me." I suddenly had a big frog in my throat and a tear appeared in my eye and I said "Jordyn, honey you couldn't have said anything more precious to ol' Grandpa that what you just said.. I will and shall remember those words and that moment in time for the rest of my life...I hope she will remember them too. In fact, I know she does as just this past weekend, I over heard her say to her Momma, I want to go to Brushy Creek again. She remembers now almost two years later...I am forever blessed for the two unforgettable hours with her at Brushy Creek.
Bill
Taylor, TX

As a young girl and growing up in a household of ancient values at the hand of my very strict parents and grandmother, I was a shy shell of what I have become now in my own adult life. I was an extremely insecure adolescent who could do little without a friend nearby.

Coming into my final year of middle school (8th grade - age 13) I had a wide circle of friends, or at least I thought. My first day of that school year saw my group of friends (the dreaded clique circle) walk up to me and hand me a note, and then they walked away. The note in summary ( and from memory) read:

"We do not want you to hang out with us any more because you are too needy. You always need one of us to come with you...Grow Up" I spent the rest of the day by myself, I ate lunch alone as I watched my old friends all laughing. Such cruelty from a group of gals I'd known since age five. I felt like the whole school of kids viewed me as those girls did. I spent the entire day holding back tears. I walked home alone that day, the pain became anger.

When I got home that evening the anger led way to rebellion. I cut my hair, long locks which had graced the small of my back. My old friends all had long hair, it was what "we' all did to belong. I cut my hair short, real short. I got rid of the girly trendy styles of clothing "we" all use to wear and rifled through my fathers old baggy sweaters and shirts. A new me emerged - where had this person been?

The next morning at school was spent being just me. I had no cares for who accepted my new look, I held my head high as I walked passed my old friends as they pointed and whispered to one another. I cackled back, much to their shock. Gone was the shy and bashful girl.

At lunch and sitting again alone, one of the girls from the popular gang came over. I always envied and for some reason hated these girls, the old group of gals hated them so I did too, without even knowing them. Wendy, who was a cheerleader sat by me and said she had heard what the other girls did to me and thought it was really mean. She told me that I could hang out with her group. I grabbed my lunch and sat at the popular table and looked over my shoulder at my old friends and just smiled. My new friends were all asking who did my hair, and where did I buy that sweater?

The next day, my new friends where wearing their dads old sweaters. Two now sporting self short hair cuts. In my rebellion, I became a bit of a trend setter and found myself.

This is a favorite moment in my life because that very moment to this day still defines who I am today. I remain indifferent to what's "cool" and irreverent to opinions.

About five years after high school I ran into one of the "mean girls" at a local event. "Jane" gave me an apology for handing me that note back in 8th grade. She said that she always felt bad when she looked back at that moment. I wanted respond acerbically, but did not. Instead I thanked her for the push to find me and had long ago let go of the pain of that day. "Jane" and I remain in contact to this day. She became a teacher, I often wonder if her apology stemmed from watching modern time school "mean girls" behave? Reflections can remind of us who we once were, and what we've become and why.
Kathy Buck
Port Washington, WI

I looked into your eyes and what did I see?
I saw a little boy looking back at me.

Lookin' around for things to explore,
Just waiting for daddy to walk through the door.

Playing and wrestling was fare for the day,
Seemed like the good times would not go away.

But time is the culprit that all of us know,
And here comes Act II, let's get on with the show...

Looking for something we can't understand,
Growing up fast, that was never the plan.

Searching for answers to questions unknown,
Hoping he'll find them before he's all grown.

But time is the culprit that all of us know,
And here comes Act III, let's get on with the show...

I'll look into your eyes and what will I see?
I'll see a mirror image of a man just like me.

What do you do when your world comes apart?
Who do you look to? Where do you start?

Great things will happen, just give this a try,
Just ask the right questions, and don't wonder why.

But time is the culprit that all of us know,
And the curtain is falling, we really should go...

Today is my Wedding Anniversary. I'm grateful Tark and I are able to share this day once again. Many of you may not know my Tark is in the end stages of liver disease. His spirits are high and his love for me. . .overwhelming.

I never thought the day would come when I'd be thinking "It's getting near. . .I know I'm going to have to say goodbye." How do you say goodbye? I've always been so used to saying "Hello."
Tark and I have always been gentle souls and very kind to each other. Our friends have always admired that about us. We take the time to show the respect and love we feel not only to each other, but to our family and friends.

When our lives started to change, Tark and I changed. Tark couldn't walk anymore. He lost many pounds of muscle. He's bleeding and looks like he's in pain. None of that makes any difference to me. When I look deep into his eyes, I still see "My Tark." That is my thought everyday. I will always have that wonderful memory. I tell him how much I care and give him more love than I ever have before. . .if that's even possible. So, I'm grateful to still have my Tark with me.
Thanks for listening to me. I've been very emotional today. I wanted to share with you a poem that helps me to remember to say what I feel. I hope you will do the same.

If I knew it would be the last time that I'd see you fall asleep, I would tuck you in more tightly and pray the Lord, your soul to keep.

If I knew it would be the last time that I see you walk out the door, I would give you a hug and kiss and call you back for one more.

If I knew it would be the last time I'd hear your voice lifted up in praise, I would videotape each action and word, so I could play them back day after day.

If I knew it would be the last time I could spare an extra minute or two to stop and say "I love you," instead of assuming, you would know I do.

If I knew it would be the last time I would be there to share your day, well I'm sure you'll have so many more, so I can let just this one slip away.

For surely there's always tomorrow to make up for an oversight, and we always get a second chance to make everything right.

There will always be another day to say our "I love you's", And certainly there's another chance to say our "Anything I can do's?"

But just in case I might be wrong, and today is all I get, I'd like to say how much I love you and I hope we never forget.

Tomorrow is not promised to anyone, young or old alike, And today may be the last chance you get to hold your loved one tight.

For if tomorrow never comes, you'll surely regret the day So if you're waiting for tomorrow, why not do it today?

That you didn't take that extra time for a smile, a hug, or a kiss and you were too busy to grant someone, what turned out to be their one last wish.

So hold your loved ones close today, whisper in their ear, Tell them how much you love them and that you'll always hold them dear.

Take time to say "I'm sorry," "please forgive me," "thank you" or "it's okay".
And if tomorrow never comes, you'll have no regrets about today.

The best storyteller in my life was my mom. My mom was handicapped, but as her body broke down around her, her mind was as sharp as a tack. She had a way with words that made everyday occurrences seem like major events, and she had a memory (which she passed on to me) that she could remember things far back in her life with deep detail. My sister and I used to go sit on her bed and ask her to tell us stories of her life. We had heard these before, but we never tired of hearing them over and over again. I can repeat these stories in detail like my mom, and have past them on, but no one could tell them like her. For certain stories she even changed her voice for the characters, and she did the facial expressions of the person of the event she was relating. When I relate the stories-some of the story is lost. We lost that with my mom’s death.

Story telling is an art. Some are writers. I know our business partner Julie is a fantastic writer. When we first met she lived 3000 miles away, but kept in touch by letters, and I always enjoyed reading her letters, they were always so entertaining. Some cannot write, like my mom (there were no home pc’s when she was alive-and her disease caused her not to be able to write-even her signature was hard), but they have a great way of telling a story. If our video business was around when my mom was alive, I know I would of forced her to tell those stories on video (because of her disease, she hated cameras). But now the way she told those stories is lost forever.

I believe my mom’s story telling was passed on to my sister and me through our talent of creating video montages. Now with our video business we cannot only create our own stories, but we can help our customers create their stories. When we capture their story with their pictures and video, many times they come back to us and say it was much better than they ever expected. Yes, they cry “Tears of Joy”! It is rewarding to know we have captured their family stories, their memories-and now they can have them forever. We know from personal experience what that means.

Stories are very powerful, especially ones that touch our heart. They help others relate to us, draw close to us and want to get to know us better. If you can artfully tell a personal story in a way that people can relate to, and then provide a solution by a product, you have your audience hooked. I am hoping to see more of those types of stories here-not sales pitches. Sales pitches turn people off. No one likes to be sold to. But stories that touch the heart draw people to you; you sell without the PITCH. Which do you think is better?

These stories don’t have to be of some spectacular event. Like my mom, your best stories are lying in your own personal experiences that happen to you everyday. Sharing your feelings and then your solutions or the lessons you learned from the situation. We would love to hear your story. As our tag line says: Everyone has a story…What’s yours?
Cathie Dod- Tears of Joy Video

I heard from one of our customers this morning and she told me about a showing of one of our videos. Her story gave me chills. I had created a video for her father’s memorial. They decided to play it at her brother’s house afterwards. They played it in his family room and kept it playing over and over again for hours.

During all that time, her mother sat a watched the video over and over again. For a number of years her mother has had Alzheimer’s and hasn’t even recognized her own children. But her daughter told me as she watched this her face started to light up. She used music that was all her fathers’ favorites and her mother started moving to the music.

After a while she started recognizing her husband and her children on the screen. By the end of the evening she was telling people, this is my daughter. She was recognizing all her kids. Her daughter said it was amazing how she reacted to the video.

She called me to talk to me about creating her mothers story now. She wants to do this while her mother can still respond to it.

Even now this story is getting me emotional. To know that something I created allowed these kids to have connection with their mother again. That is priceless!
Cathie Dodd-Tears of Joy Video

I was sitting by the pool enjoying the quiet when all of a sudden laughter exploded all around me. I looked up and saw my husband and a man I did not recognize just roaring at two girls in the pool. One, I recognized as my daughter and the other young girl could have been her twin.

I got up and walked over to my husband and he explained that our daughter's "twin" not only looked like her but she was also wearing the same bathing suit. So, my husband threw the "twin" into the pool thinking she was our daughter...on the other side of the pool the "twin's" Dad threw our daughter into the pool thinking it was his child. And so our friendship began. Kay, Dan and their 3 children became our Virginia family.

Kay lives in Roanoke, Virginia and I live in Florida, but there truly are no miles that seperate us. We have traveled the journey of each raising three children, shared the struggle of caring for elderly parents and walked the road of illness ourselves. We are more than best friends, we truly have become sisters of the heart.

We try to visit at least once a year, but call one another throughout the week and know that the journey is better because of our love and friendship. We are able to share our hearts and miraculously both of us truly understand the tenderness of a mother's heart.

We are both grandmothers now and share delightful stories of these little ones that have captured our hearts. I have 5 grandchildren and Kay has 4 and as we talk about them, we have the blessing of knowing that we also pray for one another's children and grandchildren.

Some might say that it was just a coincidence about how we met, but both Kay and I know it was God in His Divine wisdom knowing that we each needed a sister to walk the trail with us. I am blessed beyond measure to have this sweet sister in my life.
Cindie Thomas
Sanford, FL

This is about my best friend Amy. She is the sweetest person I know. She’s so kinds to other’s she care’s about other people’s feeling and she is the greatest.

If you knew her like I do you would say she is so sweet to.!!!!! She so fun to be around. and she is so funny if you knew her like I do you would no what I am talking about. She is so sweet and she really care’s about her family and she is a great mother and the sweetest wife there is she also has the cutes kids!!!! Me and my girl Amy hangout we call each other that all the time my girl because we do that all the time and we look at each other as sisters that is how close we are so we have the best friendship there is she is a great friend to me and I am to her. We both no it and we can truly say that we are real true friends and nobody is going to brake it because it's so hard to find a true friend that you can really trust but me and Amy know each other and we would never do anything to brake our friendship that is how much our friendship means to us so we really don't care what other people think about us we are the best of friends and that is what maters. Love Mindy, to Amy as always love ya girl your best friend and I miss ya girl Mindy!!!!!!!!
Mindy Chirinos
Morganton, NC

As I write this story it has been a little over a year since his tragic death. But this is not really about him, it is about what he did and the people he brought together in his lifetime. He introduced me to many very dear friends. Some of us met at birth, some met as teenagers, some met through marriage, and some met through divorce. If there is one thing we all have in common, and that is Phil.

I met Phil when I was 16 months old, he is my brother. Phil met Denise as a teenager living in Chicago, and Phil met June who was a friend of Denise's. I met June when she married Phil. Phil, Denise, and June were already friends with the rest of the gang; including Cheri, Rhonda, Sandy and Janine. I finally met the rest of them when I divorced and moved back to the city. Many of life's events took place from the time we were all friends until now. There were marriages, relocations, children were born, children were adopted, marriages were ended, sickness knocked a few doors, there were many happy times, and a few sad times. Some of us even drifted apart, until that horrible day. Last year we were all reunited at Phil's services. And as it happens many times to many people, it seemed as if we had only been separated by a few moments. Today, we are still separated not by choice but by distance.

We are recommitted to our friendship through good times and bad, and through happy and sad times. I know they will walk beside me and stand beside me and they will listen to me and they will be there to talk to me either with smiles on their faces or tears in their eyes. I know we will be friends through the years and I am so grateful for them and will love them forever.
Linda Rich
Henderson, Nevada

Back in Oct of 2008 I had lost my job and my roommate at the time asked me to move out because she was afraid I would not be able to pay my rent, so I had no where to go. The friends I had in San Diego were all very sad about me losing my job, but not one of them offered me any help, any solution. I had less than $400 in my bank account and I still had a car payment and insurance to pay. I was desperate. I had nothing left to sell after the fire that burnt Rancho Bernardo only a year prior to this. I had slept in my car before and I could do it again if I had to. It was an eye opener on who my friends truly were, when they woould ask me out to places, invite me to parties, knowing I had no money to go anywhere or do anything.

I have a friend sho had begged me to move to California in 2006 and I did. Once I arrived I barely saw her. It was her neighbor that I actually became friends with. When they heard of my situation, she and her husband offered me a room. Not once did they ask me for anything. I had NOTHING to give because my unemployment never came through. They basically took in a stranger and made me a part of their family. They showed me what unconditional love was all about. Not once id they ever make me feel like I was not giving enough. I will never, ever forget their gift of love, support and also their daughter who is now in love with my son and he has never been happier, nor she. We have a long future ahead of us as friends and I thank God every day for this gift of friendship that came so unexpectedly
Kay May

When I was four years old, my family moved to a new home. I was sad because I was leaving behind my two friends who lived down the street. Since there were nine of us - my parents and my brothers and sisters and I, we were a little conspicuous when we moved into our new home.

There wasn't much a four-year-old could do to help with moving except stay out of the way, so I just explored my new huge yard. I don't remember a lot of the specific details, but I remember at some point when we were outside, the family across the street came over to introduce themselves. As luck would have it, they had a daughter around my age named Kathy.

Kathy and I spent every possible moment together growing up. We walked to and from school together, played together after school, and ate at each other's houses. In the summer, we were together from the moment we woke up until we went to sleep, and whenever possible, we slept at each other's houses. When we were too young to cross the street alone, rather than calling each other on the phone, we preferred to go outside and yell across the street. We became part of each other's families. Since she was an only child, she enjoyed the time she spent being part of a big family, and I enjoyed the quiet time I had at her house. When we argued, we never had to apologize; we just went back to playing together like nothing happened. We constantly finished each other's sentences, and we loved it when people mistook us for sisters.

We went on vacations together, shared sicknesses, happiness, and heartaches. Even though she was a year ahead of me in school, and we were in different schools during her first year of junior high and high school, we still stayed close, and it just gave us more to talk about, filling each other in on our day at school. There was a time when I thought that our friendship had run its course and we were growing apart. She went away to college, when I was in my senior year of high school. We kept in touch, but I felt like she was living in a different world that I wasn't a part of. When she came home for the summer, however, we were the best of friends again, and it was like she never left.

Since then, she has remained my best friend. I was maid of honor in her wedding. I rushed to the hospital when she went into labor, so I could be there the moment her daughter, my goddaughter, was born. We spent Christmas Eves together. A couple years ago, she and her family moved over 800 miles away. We still keep in touch, but I wish we could see each other more often. Despite the distance, I do not have any doubt that we are still as close as ever. We still seem to know what the other is thinking and seem to call each other at just the right time. We can tell each other anything without fear of being judged. She listens when I need to talk doesn't try to give me advice when I just need someone to talk to.

We have both had other friends, many have been good friends, some we have lost touch with, some we have reconnected with, but none have been lifelong friends like we have in each other. I was talking to someone at work, and referred to Kathy as my BFF, and he questioned the "forever" part because, as he said, friends come and go. I explained to him that we have been friends for 36 years, so we are indeed Best Friends FOREVER.

Kathy has made good times great and bad times better. I am truly blessed to have her in my life and I can feel her thinking the same thing.

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