arcalife.com was born from the most basic of human needs, to leave a lasting imprint of our experiences. From the time of early cave paintings we have always strived to document and record our lives in a safe place where they will remain forever and not be washed away or overwritten. After having my first child, shared family experiences and the memories of my parents and grandparents took on a new significance. Suddenly every moment, story, photograph and smile became important. Discovering that my mother has serious bowel cancer at the age of 58 solidified the idea that there is no time like the present, when it comes to capturing your emotional heirlooms. If your family is anything like mine, much of this family consciousness is retained with just a few people, and risks being lost forever when those people are gone.

Like many other amateur family history researchers, I have enjoyed looking back and discovering my ancestors. The most striking realization was how little there really was that had endured time. Living through the information age gives us the unique opportunity to change this. In the past, memories and experiences were written on walls, kept on paper or passed on by word of mouth, leaving massive gaps in recorded cultural and family history. The family shoebox passed on from generation to generation will still exist for a few more years to come, but its time is limited.