Real sentiments from real people who are making iLivediLoved part of their lives:
“I recently lost an old Pal and it really hit home. I still live in the town we grew up in together, and I thought I would pay the old street we shared so many years on, a visit.
Last year I was in a car accident. A really bad one. I was hit head-on coming home from work one night. It was a drunk driver, and he drove straight into my headlights. He walked away from the accident…I spent three weeks in the hospital, then three months in a wheelchair. Three more months using a walker. Now I am using a cane to get around. I am only 38 years old. I will probably never run again.
But even with all I’ve been through…I feel blessed. Blessed to be a mom to three great kids. Blessed to be a wife to my loving husband. And blessed to be a daughter to a wonderful mother (and friend). Blessed to be alive.
I heard about iLivediLoved a few months ago, and I’m so glad I signed up. The car accident was truly a wake-up call for me. I didn’t have things “in place” before the accident. I didn’t have goodbye letters for each of my children or my family and friends. I’ve been working on them now and uploading favorite pictures too. It’s such a joyful experience knowing that NOW I am getting things “in place” for when it’s my time to go…for real. I don’t know when that will be, but I’m eternally grateful to have a second chance.
~ Jody P.
~ Lei B.
If you’re a baby boomer like me, you’ve probably noticed that you’re forgetting things more often. And try as you might, you can’t recall those events that your children talk about from decades ago…the stories they remember so well about growing up that have become fuzzy to you as the years fly past.
As a member here, I see this as an opportunity to store memories before they are lost. I love the fact that my memories are not only preserved, but will be passed down to my kids and grandchildren. That makes it even more special and valuable.
~ Anne S.
When
my father passed away many years ago, he left me an old army trunk full
of pictures, letters and special things he had gathered over the years
of his life. Since then, I went through a divorce and a lot of my
belongings have been in storage. I recently took my things out of
storage and came across all his old things again. A friend of mine
coincidentally told me about your website the same day I had found
myself lost in my dad’s old army box for what must have been hours. I
thought of how important it was that he left these special memories and
pieces of his life.
So I want to thank you because now I have the opportunity to do this for my kids and family--and to have the peace of mind that my memories will not get stuck in an old trunk…or possibly lost in storage. I am putting some of my dad’s stuff in with my profile so someday my kids’ lids can get to know their great grandfather too. That means a lot to me.
Andrew M.
Back when camcorders were around and everything was recorded onto VHS tape, my dad was so proud to record every family vacation and special event--and even the events that weren’t so special, just fun times with the family. Since I found out about iLivediLoved I remembered about the collection of old tapes that never get viewed any more. As a matter of fact, we don’t even have a VHS player now. I can recall how fun it was to watch the tapes with my brother and sister when I was a kid, so I decided to get these tapes from my dad and have them transferred to CDs at Costoc. My next step is to post the best videos on my iLivediLoved account, that way I can keep them safe and share them with my family. I am so happy to have a place where these special times can be preserved. Thank you!
I’m writing because I am finding my iLivediLoved membership to be very enjoyable--and even therapeutic. Over the past few years, I’ve come to have a deep understanding of the power of memories. My husband of 42 years has been battling with Alzheimer’s for quite some time, and he has now gotten to the point where he often doesn’t even remember me.
A dear friend gave me an iLivediLoved gift certificate as a way to lift my spirits because she knows how hard things have been. I cannot tell you how GREAT it has been to sit down and share my thoughts and favorite memories of my family throughout our lives. I am also attaching pictures to go with the memories and that has been really special to me. I get to remember the good times all over again, and not only that, I get to document them and preserve them. That way, when I’m gone, our family stories will not be forgotten.
Sincerely,
Sherry N.
“I recently lost an old Pal and it really hit home. I still live in the town we grew up in together, and I thought I would pay the old street we shared so many years on, a visit.
I
drove past the houses we use to live in. Just two doors away from each
other. I decided to park and just walk down the street, like I owed it
to myself to take a little more time for reminiscing. It’s been many
years since I have seen the house that had given birth to so many great
memories and dreams. Dreams like a rock star, a Porsche 911 collector, a
movie star, a movie maker, baseball pros... haha... all we dreamed were
dreams indeed... but I know that we were both pretty happy with the new
dreams we were actually living. Great families, neat kids, cool pets.
As
I walked, I recalled the sleepovers and the "two-hand touch" street
football games. The hot summer nights, bike ramps, and even all-out fist
fights that our friendship endured. When I reached my old house, I
couldn't help but stop and admire the way that the place looked with a
fresh coat of paint and a manicured lawn…
I
find myself writing this message to share with you, because I am
realizing how easy it is to NOT think about mortality... the same way
that I walked down the street the other day and tried to ignore that my
childhood friend, a father of two and a loving husband, was no longer
able to kiss his wife goodnight or walk his daughter to school and chat
with me from time to time.
As
certain as I wanted NOT to believe he was gone... there it was...
written in stone, literally. I recalled the day that Randy and I helped
my Dad mix the cement, pour it and let it set-up just long enough to
write our initials in it. My old mailbox post! It was a landmark of
sorts... our in-zone marker for football and our second base when we
played baseball in the street. There it was and I was a little
overwhelmed.
There
I was again, all of 9 years old and Randy was a few years older... and
we wrote our initials in the mailbox post Seeing that again confirmed to
me that not just remembering…but sharing our stories is profoundly
important, grounding and simply comforting.
I
am truly convinced that this service will be key to bringing a certain
comfort into the hearts of my family and friends should I meet an
untimely end…like my Pal. By building these messages, I have found
comfort in knowing that I am doing something so very important for my
children, their mother and many others both family and friends. Looking
through old photos, knowing that they will live securely for future
family and friends to marvel at (in amazement at my mullet years), and
sharing my thoughts about how to live life has been a growing experience
for me. I feel like it has really opened my heart and made me a more
grateful person and a lot more patient in my every day.
I
will leave you with this. Sadly Randy did not have the ilivediloved
services and so I dug through some old pictures and shared them with his
wife along with some special stories about his childhood... Here we are
doing what every late 70s kid did. Kungfu fighting!
Thanks again ilivediloved... And thanks Randy for all those great memories.”
~ Jerry F.
*****
Last year I was in a car accident. A really bad one. I was hit head-on coming home from work one night. It was a drunk driver, and he drove straight into my headlights. He walked away from the accident…I spent three weeks in the hospital, then three months in a wheelchair. Three more months using a walker. Now I am using a cane to get around. I am only 38 years old. I will probably never run again.
But even with all I’ve been through…I feel blessed. Blessed to be a mom to three great kids. Blessed to be a wife to my loving husband. And blessed to be a daughter to a wonderful mother (and friend). Blessed to be alive.
I heard about iLivediLoved a few months ago, and I’m so glad I signed up. The car accident was truly a wake-up call for me. I didn’t have things “in place” before the accident. I didn’t have goodbye letters for each of my children or my family and friends. I’ve been working on them now and uploading favorite pictures too. It’s such a joyful experience knowing that NOW I am getting things “in place” for when it’s my time to go…for real. I don’t know when that will be, but I’m eternally grateful to have a second chance.
~ Jody P.
*****
My
friend Dr. Pete was a soft-spoken and gentle man. He truly loved
animals and treated all those brought to him, and their owners, with
true kindness and compassion. One day Dr. Pete didn't show up for work
at the pet hospital. He was found at home sitting in an armchair in
front of his tv. He was only about 35 when he died so unexpectedly.
There was a memorial service for him, of course. And I laid flowers at
Montara Beach for him. But saying good-bye that way felt so very
one-sided and incomplete. And I know that Pete would've wanted to
comfort his family and friends if he'd had a way to do it. He would have
found the right words to ease their pain at his sudden loss. It was his
nature to alleviate the suffering of others. I wish iLivediLoved had
been around then. I'm very glad it exists now.~ Lei B.
*****
If you’re a baby boomer like me, you’ve probably noticed that you’re forgetting things more often. And try as you might, you can’t recall those events that your children talk about from decades ago…the stories they remember so well about growing up that have become fuzzy to you as the years fly past.
As a member here, I see this as an opportunity to store memories before they are lost. I love the fact that my memories are not only preserved, but will be passed down to my kids and grandchildren. That makes it even more special and valuable.
~ Anne S.
****
So I want to thank you because now I have the opportunity to do this for my kids and family--and to have the peace of mind that my memories will not get stuck in an old trunk…or possibly lost in storage. I am putting some of my dad’s stuff in with my profile so someday my kids’ lids can get to know their great grandfather too. That means a lot to me.
Andrew M.
****
Back when camcorders were around and everything was recorded onto VHS tape, my dad was so proud to record every family vacation and special event--and even the events that weren’t so special, just fun times with the family. Since I found out about iLivediLoved I remembered about the collection of old tapes that never get viewed any more. As a matter of fact, we don’t even have a VHS player now. I can recall how fun it was to watch the tapes with my brother and sister when I was a kid, so I decided to get these tapes from my dad and have them transferred to CDs at Costoc. My next step is to post the best videos on my iLivediLoved account, that way I can keep them safe and share them with my family. I am so happy to have a place where these special times can be preserved. Thank you!
Gabrielle T
****
I’m writing because I am finding my iLivediLoved membership to be very enjoyable--and even therapeutic. Over the past few years, I’ve come to have a deep understanding of the power of memories. My husband of 42 years has been battling with Alzheimer’s for quite some time, and he has now gotten to the point where he often doesn’t even remember me.
A dear friend gave me an iLivediLoved gift certificate as a way to lift my spirits because she knows how hard things have been. I cannot tell you how GREAT it has been to sit down and share my thoughts and favorite memories of my family throughout our lives. I am also attaching pictures to go with the memories and that has been really special to me. I get to remember the good times all over again, and not only that, I get to document them and preserve them. That way, when I’m gone, our family stories will not be forgotten.
Sincerely,
Sherry N.
*****
iLivediLoved RULES!
I had to write to tell you just one of the many perqs your service has given me. I was chatting with a friend the other day about the stuff I was uploading to my iLivediLoved account; and I shared with her some of the mischief-making I engaged in during the happiest era of my life, between the years of 8 & 10. I was sharing some zany anecdotes about how I single-handedly TP'd the local fire-police station, and how when I was a Student Teacher's Aid in Summer School I was asked to help the administration ferret out the miscreant who was selling M80's to the students. They figured since I was a model student I would be right on board.... Fortunately, they didn't notice the Cherry Bomb peeking out of my pocket, which I'd saved to give to the object of my affections, having sold all the lower end items to the riff-raff.... If you haven't made the connection yet I was the firecracker pusher!!!!
After that phone call with my friend I started thinking about my best buddy from that time, wondering whatever became of him. My family moved out of my idyllic neighborhood when I was about 12 and I lost touch with my friend Andrew.... the coolest kid I ever knew. As I was ruing the fact that I have no pictures left of us from those days gone by, I decided to look him up online. The problem was he has an unusual fancy last name and I had no idea how to spell it! Long story short, I found him, I messaged him, and he lives an hour or so away from where I will be moving this Fall!
I can hardly believe it!
Thank you so much for not only storing my memories digitally, but for helping me recall them and find them as well as recreate them. Reconnecting with this friend just made my week! And it never would have happened had I not been working on my iLivediLoved keepsake box.
THANK YOU!
C.H.
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I remember the day my son started kindergarten like it was yesterday. He was so excited... I was so sad. As a single mother I had grown very used to our lives being just the two of us. Now he was going off to school and I was feeling the withdrawals of separation anxiety!
I won't say the transition was easy, at least not for me. After the first day he did great! I, on the other hand, took awhile to get into my new routine.
That first day still sticks in my head. But, unfortunately I don't have any pics of it. I was so pre-occupied with getting him there on time and then me getting to work on time that I didn't think to take a single shot.
I am realizing more and more how important it is not to miss these milestone moments. And to keep them safe for the future. I have had too many computer crashes and phone losses not to know.
When I signed up for iLivediLoved I got two accounts. One for me. One for my son. Because some day he will want to start adding pictures and memories of his own - to share with his own children and grandchildren one day. I want him to have that opportunity.
Thank you for creating iLivediLoved,
Lisa G.
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As a kid I was at the mercy of my older sisters when it came to vacations. For Spring Break I wanted to go to Disneyland. They wanted to go to Palm Springs - to lay out by the pool - and shop! Ack!
Summer’s were much better. We always made at least one trip to Mission Bay and this amazing resort called (at the time) Vacation Village. This was a kids’ paradise. In fact, I think the place was renamed Paradise Point along the way. Not only was the resort minutes away from Sea World and the Balboa Park roller coaster (which I almost died on -- story for another time), but the amenities were off the hook.
They had a 9 hole putting course, a big arcade with a whole bunch of pool tables, three swimming pools, a lagoon with a huge fountain, one story bungalows instead of high rise hotel structures, a great breakfast buffet.... and surreys!!!! I always made friends on site and would wrangle my parents into letting me rent a surrey which we would pedal around the resort. It all sounds safe enough, but we invariably ended up on winding skinny sidewalks edging the lagoon. Let’s just say there were times I had to walk back to the bungalow when a sorry surrey careened around a corner and into the dip.
I am having a blast recreating these memories with photos and slides on my iLivediLoved account. It’s about more than preserving the memories - though that is important for those close to us. It is also about jogging our brains to remember those times in the first place so that they are never lost. And it’s a blast!
Thanks for making it all possible.
Jim K.
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When I emailed the creators of iLivediLoved to tell them how much I am enjoying my membership I had no idea they would return the message and invite me to share my experience. I asked for some ideas and they told me that my testimonial would be part of "Legacy Week."
Wow! That sounded big to me. And deep. I had no idea where to start and started to stress about it a little bit. Until I was in the car listening to some old tunes and heard the INXS song "I Need You Tonight." The lyrics began "All you've got is this moment. 21st Century's yesterday...." And I thought "That's it! That's what I want to say!"
All we have is today - this very moment - and we must make each one count. That is what my experience with iLivediLoved has shown me. I look at everything differently since signing up for a membership. When I am out with friends I take more pictures. I record more videos. I take time to observe and enjoy the moments in my life more. And I think of the lessons I learn from the loving relationships I share. These are the things I want to leave for my family and my friends. And I'm sure this is just the beginning. The more I use iLivediLoved the more ideas I come up with. And the more people I want to reconnect with and spend time with.
I love what I am learning about myself by using the site and its tools. And every day I appreciate my own life more. Thank you for creating iLivediLoved. And for helping me to create a legacy I can be proud of.
Brenda S.
P.S. Here's the video version of my inspiration :)
I Need You Tonight by INXS
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"I'm glad I found the ilivediloved site because I was looking for something new, different and very special for my older sister's birthday. The ilivediloved gift certificate was the perfect gift! She has really gotten into family genealogy over the past few years. As a mom of 4 grown kids and lots of grandchildren, and with a husband and two sisters, I know she will want to leave special thoughts and memories for each of us.
We've talked about how little we have from our parents that showed how much they cared, so we want to do better for our kids and grandkids. I have the letter my dad wrote to me when I was born, but that's all, and although cherished, it would give me comfort to have something that he wrote in his later years that was special, just for me.
My birthday is coming up in a few months; I think (and hope) I know what my sis will get me."
~Anne W.
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"I, like many men, have a difficulty with saying, writing or communicating my innermost thoughts and emotions. Particularly when trying to express these deep seated feelings with those closest to me: my wife, our children, our parents, our friends. Through your ilivediloved site, I can now preserve these moments and then upon my death, gift--without any hesitation or difficulty--my life's meaningful thoughts, thrills, magic moments, fun times and sad times. Through my written notes, photos and home videos, I can show and say all those things that I had always wanted to but had such difficult time trying to express.
Sincerely,"~David S.
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"The site is awesome. Imagine getting a message of encouragement from a family member or a friend who has passed away. Giving and getting more closure and understanding....
Something just came to mind. The idea of giving a message to a loved one during special times of their lives -- like going to first grade, graduating from grammar school to Jr High, and even H.S.
Or to receive messages of praise and encouragement from a parent or family member -- like a daughter getting a video from herr father on her wedding day. And maybe after the birth of his or her first child.
To hear my father's or mother's voice letting me, the recipient, know how much I am loved. Such a message would make my life more complete than I can say. It is a a reminder of life and love that needs to be shared...
Thanks." ~Phil C.
Do you have something you'd like to share about your experience with iLivediLoved? Feel free to post your testimonial on our Facebook page
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