A Gift For Parents

Excerpt from: 1 June 2009 ISSUE 21
By Kelly Gettys

In March of 2007 I decided to create a book about my parents’ first 20 years of marriage to give to them for Christmas! I had no idea what I was in for! I scanned in over 700 photos on my flat-bed scanner (groan) on weekends when they were out of town. So they had no idea this project was taking place.

At this time the template gallery did not exist, so the book was created from scratch. And between scanning photos and creating pages, this project became known as my 9 month baby! All of my friends were so sick of hearing me talk about how I had to get my book finished. They just wanted me to be quiet or get it done!

Christmas came and I couldn’t contain myself. It was killing me to know that the book was wrapped under the tree for my parents to open.

I had them sit next to each other on the couch, and I gave them their gift. Tears started welling up in my eyes. (They probably wondered what in the world was wrong with me!) When they pulled the book out of its jacket and saw their wedding picture on the cover, I don’t think they realized what they had. As the pages began to turn, my mother began to cry and my Dad was speechless. Of course at this point I was in tears as well.

My mother continued to cry all day—each time she thought about her gift. She knew how much time and love I put into it, which made it that much more special. They were amazed I was able to find the photos in their house without them knowing!

Through the years I have had many special Christmas memories that I cherish, but this Christmas will always be remembered as the one where I gave the very best gift I could ever give anyone!

Three more copies of the book have since been ordered: a copy for each child. A true treasure in each of our homes! Had I never heard about Heritage Makers, I never would have thought to do something like this for my parents. And I was able to accomplish two things: one was to provide a very special gift, and two was to have my parents’ photos stored someplace safe—on a computer.

I am in the process of creating another book—all about my Dad and his life. And I have learned so many things I never knew about my father. I found out important family history that, were I not creating a book for him, I possibly would have never known. I just hope this project doesn't take 9 months like the last one! With the wonderful template gallery I am sure it won't!

Annie's Note: This story brought tears to my eyes as I read it. It's what Heritage Makers is all about. Also, thank goodness for the Template Gallery and our Scanning Service, neither of which were around when this story took place. Every year Heritage Makers comes up with amazing updates to our website and amazing new products! I can't wait to show you what's next!