Heritage-Memories
I have a passion about Family and Family Memories!
That is why I launched Heritage-Memories (a service of Heritage Computer Consulting & Services, Inc)! For years, I have enjoyed keeping items that have importance to our family history and publishing digital scrapbooks about our family. Jim has been interested in genealogy and in the early years did some extensive research.
Our family story started in 1974 when Jim & I met through our churches. Two years later, we got married. In 1980, we were excited to welcome our first child, James Ernest Watkins, III. He was a healthy 7 lbs. 2 oz. Two years later, we were blessed with our second child, Jennifer Erin Watkins. A dream come true…a boy and a girl…the perfect family.
Unfortunately, our perfect family has experienced some events that were unexpected. Two months after our beautiful daughter was born, we lost Jim's Mom to cancer. A very difficult loss; she's the one responsible for getting Jim & I together. I was close to Mom and missed her a lot.
There have been other losses…my Uncle (Mom's brother) to Leukemia; my Dad to Parkinson's; Jim's Dad to cancer; my Brother to a brain tumor and my Mother at age 92. All families experience similar losses…but the most devastating loss was that of our son.
His journey began with a rash. Nothing to worry about, right? When James showed me a rash that covered his torso, I gave him our dermatologist's name, recommended he call and make an appointment. The dermatologist sent James for a chest x-ray that showed a huge tumor. The fight was on! Hodgkin's Lymphoma…who would have guessed that our healthy, athletic, active, talented son would be diagnosed with cancer! A parent's worst nightmare!
The unthinkable happened April 2015 when James lost his battle with cancer and the effects of treatment.
I guess that is why I am so passionate about Family and Family Memories! Life happens…it does not always follow the expected path. Now, I realize how precious those moments were as our kids grew up before our eyes. Never did I dream that we would be here!
Now I realize how precious every memento is - every grade card, picture, video, drawing, etc. But how do you save these items? With today's technology, we have the ability to take pictures, scan files and create some very special items.
But how do you protect those special items from tornados, floods, hurricanes and fires? How do you save them for generations to come? Guaranteed!
Several years ago, I have software to create and print some nice books. I loved creating books about our family -- Four generations, weddings, anniversaries, vacations and grandchildren. I even made a Recipe book with the software. Then the company dropped support for the software and I searched for another solution. That is when I came across FOREVER. Their software was very similar to the old software I had used and best of all, I could still use my digital kits and convert my old files to the new format. The more I learned , the more I knew this company aligned with my personal and business values.
Four years after we lost James, I decided the best therapy for me was to launch Heritage-Memories as a service of our 28 year old computer consulting business. I saw other parents struggling to make sense of their loss and keep the memories of their children alive. I feel like I have something to give back to them - to ease their pain and to make a difference.
So as of July 26. 2019, I announce my association as an Ambassador with FOREVER. Please view the options at: https://www.forever.com/ambassador/f-watkins
Here is my Album on FOREVER Storage about Alexis and James: https://www.forever.com/app/users/f-watkins/albums/forever-story-pics It includes a 12 x 12 canvas and a book I made our granddaughter. The Album allows me to organize the pictures, include the book and canvas; then share it.
A few months ago, on James' 39th birthday, I also launched a blog to share some of my knowledge and life's journey. You may visit my blog at http://heritage-memories.com/
E-mail me at awatkins@heritage-memories.com if you are interested in attending a FREE workshop to learn more about preserving your Family Memories.
