By Vicki Scott
Guess who was at the Gatlin Brothers’ concert on December 9 in Montgomery?
My husband Alan and I were in the balcony along with several people our age or older. During the show, videos depicted places of where the band had been and people they had met throughout their career. I am glad they did, because I was not familiar with the Gatlin Brothers until then. They had had a full life! Although there are only three of Gatlin Brothers, they remind me of the Oak Ridge Boys.
Watching the videos at the concert made me think of how nice it would be if I could watch a video for each of our seniors, who tell me stories about their lives. I picture in my mind their lives before I met them back in the day. I’d love to watch a video about them.
I tried to do a shortened life story video for my parents at their funeral for those who did not know them. I got the idea from a sweet lady at Reeltown when I heard her mother’s life story at her funeral. These memories could be enjoyed with a person while he or she is still alive, a lot like what we experienced with the Gatlin Brothers.
With technology as it is today, these types of videos could be kept on file, showing the patients as they once were. They then could be played for both them and people who work with them at the nursing care facilities. This would be a wonderful thing, especially in the memory support unit with dementia patients. When I worked with dementia patients, pictures would spark memories. I cannot imagine what videos would do. Each person has a story to be told, and I’m blessed to share mine with you each week on paper.
While recently searching in my phone photos for pictures of my granddaughter Saylor Rhea, I found videos of her compiled into a video with music. I do not know why the phone did that, but I loved it and posted it. It was Saylor Rhea’s seventh birthday on December 11, and that video was perfect. Way to go, whoever was responsible for that. It brought tears to my eyes!
After watching the video with Saylor, I perused the phone for other videos. I found one of our mission trips to the Bahamas and Alaska. It had music with it. The one that took me back was with my mother in Savanah, Georgia. These were all videos using my pictures and playing complimentary music. I am in love!
My mind is unpredictable. When I first started this article, I did not plan to write about videos. But I thought of Saylor’s birthday and the video I found, and then it escalated from there. It is amazing how many things in life fit together and connect. I keep watching all these videos over and over. Come to think of it, Saylor Rhea is my only grandchild that asks me to put these videos on for her to watch. This article and the Gatlin Brothers could not have happened at a better time.
What a full weekend in that we pulled late nighters two days in a row. We enjoyed both events and the videos involved. I wrote earlier that the Gatlin Brothers reminded me of the Oak Ridge Boys. In a previous article, I wrote that William Golden, who is the Oak Ridge Boy with the long beard, has a sister who was our neighbor when we lived in Dadeville before moving to Glencoe. I wrote about the lights being on at her house when the Oak Ridge Boys played in Montgomery recently. I found out that the house is still owned by William Golden’s sister – boom!
Stay safe, y’all, and check your photos for videos!
Vicki Scott may be contacted at lily200383@yahoo.com.