As difficult as all of this has been - and it seems the difficulty comes in waves - we find the greatest comfort comes in the moments we spend calmly and joyfully with the ones we love. And so, that is driving home even more, the importance of remembering and honoring the moments, big and small, with our families. The milestone moments that we can recall when things feel most difficult, and the every day moments that make up our family life and our shared history, are what we seem to crave the most.
We acknowledge that this time of social isolation is especially difficult for families who have spent a tremendous amount of time, energy, and love preparing for upcoming events like bar and bat mitzvahs. Suddenly, it feels like the months and years of dreaming, and planning, and working, are ripped away. The creativity, enthusiasm and strength that we are witnessing in the face of this disappointment (felt by children and parents in equal measure), is inspiring us to work harder and to do more.
Some families have used Zoom and other technology to host virtual bar mitzvah celebrations. Others are putting the party plans on hold and coming up with even more fun, creative ways to celebrate when we can finally all be together again to revel in our traditions, and our families. Sharing new stories, and re-telling all of our old favorites.
Along with our clients, we have been finding ourselves taking a little more time to pour over our own family memories. We have been bringing out photos, from physical photos to the longer and longer camera rolls on our phones and other devices. What we are finding - and we are hearing the same from clients and friends - is that looking back over these memories (even those from the recent past that is starting to feel a bit far away) is helping us to feel gratitude and joy. And this gratitude and joy helps to balance out, if not push away entirely, the frustration that current circumstances are often creating.
In fact, these small, isolated moments go a long way into helping us tell - and connect to - our family stories. If you have found yourself looking through photos and longing to connect to and celebrate your family , now is the perfect time to work with us on creating a Montage Video. Without the ability to shoot our Signature Portrait Videos or Mitzah Movies due to social distancing, our Portraits that Move Team has been hard at work on more montages. For families with a bar mitzvah coming up, now is an ideal time to get started on making a Mitzvah Montage with Portraits that Move. Everything from the initial consultation, to the Montage creation process, is easy to do virtually. And with a little extra time with your family, it is a good time to gather around and review photos, swap stories, and select your favorites to share.
In addition to our Mitzvah Montages, we have been creating new montage videos for birthday and retirement celebrations, and other events that families plan to hold virtually and in person. It fills us with joy to be able to be a part of sharing and celebrating your family’s story in this way, especially now. We invite you to reach out to us to plan a montage, or simply to share a story.
Wishing you good health and an abundance of joy.