Remembering

Paul Ray Downs- 1981

I have with a heavy heart been in America to say farewell to my loving, kind and generous brother Paul.

 Though we have lived 5000 miles apart for 15 years I knew when we spoke (or on the rare occasions when I got out to the states to visit) it would be like we never had been away.

It was astonishing to see the number of people who came to his funeral. He had a knack of making everyone he met feel at ease, listened to and accepted. He talked to complete strangers and never judged them by the way they looked, lived or spoke.

Matt the girls and I had the great pleasure of spending time with our family and Paul's for almost a month.  It was so wonderful to be together.  My sister-in-law and niece and nephew are stunningly special. And the truth about funerals is that the time you spend mourning with other people who knew your loved one is sweet despite the sorrow: reliving memories, listening to other's memories and celebrating a life lost.

In our time there we finally found a moment to sort though boxes of my Mom's things which were stored in Paul's basement since she died in '06. In them we found so many wonderful memories and treasures! Including over 300 photographic slides dating from the 60's to the 80's. I was determined to get these photos to a usable condition and after much trawling and searching I narrowed down my choices to a small (1/2 lb loaf size) digital camera box which allows you to make digital copies of negatives and slides. There were many many options but based on my research and customer reviews we chose this one.

The results have exceeded my wildest expectations! The photos capture all the charm of the slides with a clarity that blows my mind away. The greatest pleasure comes from seeing the faces I've loved and lost suddenly showing new expressions.  It is the the most precious gift I could have recieved.

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