Tip#1075: How To Keep Memories of Loved Ones Alive - Coco

I have an absolute passion for photography! Taking photos has been a huge love of mine since I was a kid and also became a major creative tool for managing my mental health and depression in recent years (see my Instagram). I shared this passion with my dad who loved taking photos of our family growing up. Since his passing 18 years ago he left a massive archive of photos that needed organizing.

On my recent annual holiday vacation at my mom’s home I finally had the courage, energy and focus to go through my dad’s photos. They had been stored in dusty boxes in very poor conditions of extreme hot and cold temperatures. So I felt like I was rescuing these photos! As I opened each box I would find precious prints that were yellowing and cracking from when my dad and mom lived in the Philippines. I was in awe seeing them for the first time when they were kids, teens and when they met in the Philippines in beautiful vintage clothing and settings!

For over many days of going through photo envelopes I had several emotional moments seeing my family at different stages growing up in Canada. I was flooded with happy memories of places, old friends, old schools, relatives, and even favourite toys that were long gone. That’s when I felt so grateful for my dad’s passion for taking, collecting and keeping these photos all these years. I realized the ultimate importance of how family photos keep our personal memories and loved ones alive for our selves and for future generations.

This is why I found it highly synchronistic and very mystical that the first movie I saw in the New Year was so much about the importance of family photos as a way to remember and share the legacies of loved ones. It was a movie my mom really wanted to see and when we did we cried over the heartwarming magic of its story.



Coco (2017)

The animated musical fantasy film, Coco, is about 12-year-old Miguel Rivera (Anthony Gonzalez) who dreams of being a musician challenging his family's ancestral ban on music and enters the mystical Land of the Dead to find his great-great-grandfather, legendary singer Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt). This visually stunning, colorfully rich movie is another brilliant Pixar production overflowing with amazing settings, characters and emotional scenes to tug on your heartstrings! See: movie teaser 

This film is a wonderful exploration of the Mexican celebration, Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead), on October 31st to November 2nd to remember ancestry through beautiful costumes and face paint. There are also so many inspirational and motivational themes in this epic film that it will require multiple viewings to absorb them all. This film has many life lessons and specifically teaches the importance of family legacies. And when the story focused on the use of family photos to remember loved ones that have passed it really touched my heart. It mirrored all the recent work I’d been doing in organizing my dad’s photo archives!

Inspiring Themes:
• Following a Vision
• Following a Passion
• Perseverance
• Resilience
• Indestructible Optimism
• Courage
• Confidence
• Leadership
• Teamwork
• Power of Belief
• Life after Death
• Family
• Supportive Relationships
• Love & Forgiveness
• Family Legacy & History
• Grieving the Loss of a Loved One
• Keeping Memories of Loved Ones Alive

My mom and I really felt the presence of my dad with us in the theatre where we saw Coco on New Years Day at the Regal Sunset Station Cinemas in Las Vegas. One of the film’s songs “Remember Me” brought us to tears by the end of the movie so get your tissues ready! This is the greatest movie I’ve ever seen about honoring family history and keeping the memory of loved ones alive. I highly recommend you see with your family on the big screen asap!

Photos of loved ones are an important way of keeping happy, loving memories of them alive. Their spirit lives on in these precious images whether they are digital or in print form. Take time today to organize your photos of your current family and family history for yourself and for future generations. Your loved ones in heaven will thank you and send you a loving kiss of gratitude!

Related Tips:
Tip#115: Gifts from Heaven - Field of Dreams - Frequency
Tip#116: Gifts from Heaven Part 2 - What Dreams May Come
Tip#436: Healing Movies For Grieving The Loss of a Loved One



DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE THAT NEEDS
CHEERING UP DURING THE HOLIDAYS?
• LISTEN: Emmanuel's CBC Radio Interview on Movie Messages of Hope for the Holidays: The Fresh Air Show
• WATCH: Uplifting Movie Montage produced by Emmanuel Lopez!
• READ: Emmanuel's Ebook, Movie Messages of Hope for the Holidays on sale now

Remember How Movies Can Help You:
A) Entertain & Escape
B) Re-energize & Release
C) Inspiration & Motivation



Emmanuel Lopez-Motivatorman
Motivational Speaker
Discover How Movies Inspire, Motivate & Empower You!
See website: www.motivatorman.com
 
© Emmanuel Lopez 2018