The Storyteller’s Legacy-- Why it matters. I knew my grandmother as a strong-willed, religious, Italian woman who spoke freely and lived to be 101-years old. But admittedly, I knew little about her prior to holding that beloved moniker. It wasnt until a visit to her home a few years before her death that the rich details of her life truly emerged. Once I began recording her audio, I was astonished to learn what asking the right questions unveiled. I discovered that her mother died young and unexpectedly, leaving behind five children. Her father was unable to care for them while maintaining a job so he placed them in an orphanage, remarried, and retrieved his children. We always knew grandma’s name to be Louise, but I learned that her birth name was actually Eliza. I rummaged through old shoe boxes filled with memorabilia and found her wedding announcement from 1935. It was the size of an index card and my grandmother’s last name had been misspelled. And there were photos of a bold, vibrant young woman standing on the steps of the US Capitol. The year was 1941 and she was my grandmother. It has been more than year since her death, but when I play her video and hear her voice, her inflections, her mannerisms, and her stories… I am overwhelmed. This was the impetus of The Storytellers Legacy. And this is why it matters. https://youtube/watch?v=VfiYtDmd-68
Posted on: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 13:36:33 +0000