When a person passes away, they leave more behind than most anticipate. As the reality becomes clear, one might realize that they have not just lost their loved one, but also the sound of their voice, the tone of their laugh, and the stories they’ve told.
While memories will undoubtedly persist for years to come, finer details will often fade with time. But in an era where everything can be documented, why risk losing treasured memories, moments, and even voices?
When you are unsure how to preserve memories, voices, and stories for years to come, memory-keeping apps, including Forevermore, aim to bridge the technical aspects of preservation with the conversations that arise from these moments. With memory-keeping apps, it is no longer about living in fear of the past, but about living in the present.
The Reality Behind Loss
Michael Curtis, who founded the Forevermore app, has experienced grief firsthand. As someone who lost two people close to him in traumatic ways, he was left with little to remember them by.
Curtis’ girlfriend experienced something similar when she was left with only her mother’s watch and a single voicemail to remember her by. With no recorded stories, jokes, recipes, or funny memories, she is forced to hold on to them only by recalling what she can.
What if that could change? What if, by using memory-keeping apps, people could hold on to the pictures, videos, recipes, moments, and stories that come with them?
The Idea of Continuing Bonds
Dennis Klass, the grief psychologist who formulated the Continuing Bonds Theory, believes that healthy grief does not require one to sever ties with the deceased. Introduced in 1996, the Continuing Bonds Theory proposes that, instead of detaching from a loved one, the bereaved maintain connections in new ways.
This perspective shifts grief from the “letting go” mindset to one that acknowledges the ongoing relationship between the living and the person who has passed on.
“The idea that someone must ‘detach’ from a loved one after losing them is an outdated opinion,” Michael Curtis says.
Memory-keeping apps offer new ways to maintain connection. They are not merely for those who grieve someone who has passed on, but for those who will one day wish to get to know that person on a deeper level.
With new technologies, such as the artificial intelligence in Forevermore’s “Echo” feature, users can record and discuss everything they share with their Forevermore app. This feature allows their loved ones to access their memories without having to search and press play. By using an Echo, you could ask your Forevermore app about what kind of fish you caught when you were seven, and your dad’s Echo would reply, “Oh, that was a catfish” in the exact voice he recorded it in.
Store, Share, and Keep Memories With New Technology
While there are many fears and doubts surrounding the safekeeping of one’s memories, memory-keeping apps such as Forevermore aim to take the question of how to preserve these moments out of the equation. By simply clicking the record button, you can record a story, a recipe, or share a memory, and keep it safe for the test of time.
With new technology, treasured moments are no longer bound to one’s ability to remember them.
