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The Blessing of Grandparents

I am blessed to have known three of my four great grandmothers. Two were from the old country, Russia and Eastern Europe, and two born and bred in Chicago. In 1998, just a week before returning home to Chicago from college, I was awakened by a terrible dream that my Grandma Steiner, the last survivor of the four had died. It was 5am and the light was just beginning to peep through the windows of my Union Square dorm room. I tossed and turned and finally got back into a light sleep. Three hours later, my father called to announce that my great-grandmother, Anna Steiner, had passed away at the age of 86 years old, taking with her all the wisdom, experiences, great stories, funny anecdotes, and unique expressions that me and my family had always cherished. Besides the grief I felt at her passing, I struggled not to berate myself for failing to bring my video camera with to her apartment the last time I had visited with her over spring break. I had had every intention of capturing some of her stories on video, but it hadn't happened.

From that day forward I couldn't shake the feeling that I had lost the link to an entire generation of my family, that I would never have answers to the dozens of questions that still swim around in my head.  Even though I had known these women, been in their presence, spent holidays and birthdays with them, I didn't really know them at all. I had never sat down to ask them what their lives had been like growing up at the turn of the century, how they met their husbands and feel in love, whether or not they regretted not having gone to college, what it was like to live through the Depression and two World Wars. How many of us ever think to ask these questions of the ones we love before it's too late?

In the fall of 2002 my maternal grandfather gave up his fight against cancer, and I lost the last of my grandfathers in the span of two years. Before he died, not wanting to make the same mistake I had made with Grandma Steiner, I sat with my grandparents over spring break on their oceanfront balcony, as they held hands and he recounted his days as the Marble Champion of Chicago, meeting and falling in love with the love of his life, my grandmother, and what it was like being the youngest of three brothers. I diligently recorded as many of his stories as would fit into the little "When grandpa was a boy…" notebook my mother had given all the grandparents one year during the holidays and which none of them had ever filled out. Most people are too busy living their lives to worry about recording them for the future, and I understood this, but I also understood that this was one of my last chances to record my grandfather's stories and I wasn't going to let it pass me by.

I went to Florida with my parents and sister to attend his memorial service. The little notebook that we'd filled up with his life story was distressingly nowhere to be found. In my own grief, this seemed like a minor detail. My grandfather was a person who always believed in me and let me know how proud of me he always was. He had a light-hearted, playful way of imparting wisdom, and a joie de vivre that made him one of my favorite people to be around even in his final days. With his passing, I began to ask myself the questions that I'd been pushing out of my head ever since college graduation, as I just sort of hit the pavement and continued to pursue the dream I'd had since childhood of becoming a movie star. I realized that I needed to begin pursuing goals that would be both personally fulfilling and also help others in some way.

Realizing that I was fortunate enough to have both my grandmothers alive and well, I decided to film and record their life stories. I spent nearly a year filming and editing their stories into two documentary films and in the process realized I was creating a business that was both creatively satisfying for me while providing a great service for other people. I decided to call it Family Legacy Productions, and I now enjoy turning other people into the "movie stars" of their own life stories.

 

 

About the Author

Arielle Nóbile founder of Family Legacy Productions is passionately committed to helping people tell their stories in a way that enriches their life and inspires others.  She has directed and produced over 50 private films and interviewed over two hundred people on three continents.

Arielle Nóbile is available to speak in 30, 60 and 90-minute time slots free of charge for organizations on the Front Range.  Some of the places she has spoken include Northwestern University and the Association of Personal Historians Annual Conference.  More references available upon request.  For more information about Arielle and to see a video clip of her speaking go to http://familylegacypro.com/meetus/ and click on the second video link which says "watch to learn more about founder Arielle Nóbile."

 

 

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