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On July 28, 1957, my parents moved into their first home.

My sister Linda was five. I was one. My sister Tammie, had not yet been born.

Last week, Tuesday, July 29, Mom and Dad moved. Not far. About a mile west to a beautiful high rise condo.

On July 1, my sisters and I got together with Mom and Dad at their house. The one we all grew up in. The one Mom and Dad called “home” for 51 years. And we did something we hadn’t done in years together. The five of us had dinner at the kitchen table. No spouses. No grandkids.

We sat in the same locations we sat in, throughout the 50s, 60s, 70s and early 80s. We ate. Laughed. Reminisced. Laughed some more.

For dessert, I told my folks we had a special “treat.” I then hit play on my laptop and my parents were surprised to see a DVD begin playing. It was simply titled, “The Blackman Family: 1952 - 1977.”

About two weeks earlier my Mom was in “purge the house” mode. If she thought a painting, garment, lawn ornament or sheet of paper would clutter her move, she wanted it out!

So she gave me two cases, filled with 68 canisters of 8mm film. Each, was cryptically labeled. With titles like, “Family Backyard - 1958,” “Wisconsin Dells - 1960,” “Ski Michigan - 1975.” I asked, “What do you want me to do with these?” She replied, “Don’t know. Thought you and your sisters would enjoy looking at them.” (Hmmm. I wondered how, without an 8mm projector.) Yet my family’s first quarter century was housed on these reels. And although I had no idea what each reel contained, I knew it would be a treasure trove of memories.

My sisters and I quickly hatched a plan... to have the film converted to DVD.

And on that July 1 evening, we watched for more than three hours — birthday and anniversary parties, vacations, sweet sixteens, baseball games and holiday celebrations.

There were choked-up throats and tear-filled eyes. But mostly, there was raucous laughter.

At 11:15 p.m., we were all exhausted. But then... My sisters and I, popped a video camera on a tripod and for another sixty minutes, interviewed my parents. About their hopes, dreams, beliefs, values, favorite memories, funniest moments and future goals. It too was priceless. And hysterical!

If you’ve got older parents, you might consider doing the same. But don’t wait. Do it now. Capture the moment.

Relive the past. Look to the future.

Hope you and your family have as much fun as we did.

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Jeff Blackman is a speaker, author, success coach, broadcaster and lawyer who lives part-time on Marco Island. His clients call him a “business-growth specialist.” Send an e-mail to jeff@jeffblackman.com or go to www.jeffblackman.com to subscribe to his free e-letter.