🎙️ The Power of a Voice: Why We Must Record the Ones We Love — Before It’s Too Late

The idea of recording a voice message from a loved one sounds simple. And it is. Yet so few of us ever actually do it.

After many years of working in the space of memory, storytelling, and more recently with older adults in care, I’ve come to understand why this simple act — capturing someone’s voice — often gets overlooked.

We don’t avoid it because we don’t care. We avoid it because we're waiting for the perfect time. But as it touches something deep, and sometimes uncomfortable, inside us we never find that right time.

🧠 We Don’t Always Realise the Importance — Until It’s Too Late

In our fast-paced lives, the idea of preserving a voice just doesn’t cross our minds until we’re in a crisis or looking back with regret.We assume there will be time. But life has a way of reminding us there often isn't.

It’s not until the absence of a voice becomes real — permanently silent — that we wish we had captured it. A greeting. A laugh. A single “I love you.”

😬 It Feels Awkward — Because It Brings Mortality Into the Room

Recording a message with someone we love can feel strange. You may think, “Are we preparing for them to go? Is this morbid?”

In truth, it’s the opposite.

It’s an act of love. An act of memory-making. A way of saying: “You matter. You always will.”

And yes, it may bring up emotions. That’s okay. The most meaningful things often do.

📝 The Pressure to Make It Perfect — Often Leads to Nothing

We put so much pressure on ourselves to say the right thing. To have the perfect message. The most profound words.

But here’s the truth: it’s not about perfection. It’s about presence.

Even a simple message — “I’m thinking of you. I love you. Remember the holiday in Devon?” — becomes priceless once the voice is gone.Better something imperfect, than nothing at all.

📱 The Technology Is in Your Pocket — You Just Need to Use It

Many people feel unsure about how to record someone. But the reality is: nearly all of us already carry the tool to do it — our smartphones.

The voice memo app, your phone’s camera, even WhatsApp — these are modern memory-keepers. Don’t let the fear of “tech” be a barrier to something so human.

⏳ Procrastination Has a Cost

All of these barriers — emotional, practical, psychological — lead to the same result:We put it off. We mean to do it. We tell ourselves “soon.”

And then it’s too late. And we live with regret.

🎁 This Week, A Daughter-in-Law Gave Her Family a Gift They’ll Never Forget

This week, I had the heartfelt honour of creating a memory box for a family who did take the step.

A man, nearing the end of his life, recorded a message — one of the very last things he ever did. His daughter-in-law had the courage, love, and presence of mind to record it for her husband and family.

What he said was simple. But it was also beautiful. His voice — full of warmth, gratitude, memory — now lives on in a form his family can listen to again and again.

It is one of the most meaningful messages that I’ve ever helped preserve.

💬 Please: Listen. Reflect. Take Action.

Don’t wait until the moment is gone.Start small — ask a loved one to share a memory, record a poem, or just say hello.Even record something yourself, for them.

You don’t need special equipment. You don’t need perfect words. You just need to begin.

You may not realise it now, but this will become one of the most valuable things you’ll ever do.

Start today. Your future self — and your loved ones — will thank you.