"The sheer beauty is enough!"
"I gave the Gifts film to a close friend for her birthday, and a small group of us watched the film together. You could have heard a pin drop! Everyone was so captivated with it. Afterwards each person shared what image touched them the most and why. It was a valued bonding experience for us, and I can imagine us doing this together each year."
"We were deeply touched and thrilled to have received over 300 submissions, and I am so happy to inform you that your grouping of images has been chosen to be featured on one of the main navigation pages of our new site!"
Mary Daniel Hobson, Director, Arts & Healing Network
"The Gift has been a beautiful teaching tool which has inspired my graduate students in their journey toward thesis writing. The film has catalyzed a reflective process about how their writing can become their gift to the world."
Susanne M. Fest, Ed.D. Faculty, Individualized Liberal and Professional Studies Antioch University Midwest
"Each time I watch the film, I sit silently, looking and listening for the spark of emotion that arises from an image. Once I feel this, I begin to journal or write freely, letting thoughts flow without attachment to grammar or judgement. After this initial process, I may look at my writing again for themes and journal deeper. For me, this process is part of the cleansing of mind, body and spirit."
"During my second residency at Antioch University, we watched the Gifts film. Your film helps me to see the wonders of this earth with deep gratitude; the wonders of nature, the connections, the relationships, and the commonalities. I think it can help people in despair to see the beauty again. Thank you for this beautiful, moving film!."
"Snuggled together, my husband and I watch Gifts, sharing life gifts we gave and received. Later, he can’t talk: we watch exquisite photos wordlessly. Activity Directors in Day Care show Gifts: inspiring memories, calming anxious minds. Residents in his Care Center watch beautiful images; visitors watch with loved ones, when talk feels too hard. All this, I imagine: our 12 year Alzheimer’s journey came before this extraordinary film appeared. But I know Gifts is truly a gift to persons with dementia, and their families!"
Ann Davidson, Author
Alzheimer’s: A Love Story and A Curious Kind of Widow