Thursday, March 5, 2015

52 Ancestors #8 / Genealogy Do-Over Week 2: Interview with Omi

One of the first tasks in the Genealogy Do-Over was to interview family members. Sadly, we have almost no one left in my parents' generation to interview. My mother, Doris Lichtenthal Falcone passed away on Dec. 2, 2011. Today she would have been 83 years old.

I spent some time regretting the fact that I didn't embark on my genealogical journey earlier, then remembered a project my daughter Caitlin did while she was in school. Caitlin interviewed her grandmother, her "Omi", about her 1938 journey to America and videotaped the interview to share with the class. Thanks to my son-in-law, Andy, who hooked the VCR up to the new flat screen TV, I was able to view the video last week.  I can’t think of better topic to write about on this day.

Caitlin interviewing her grandmother.

While I am going to share the facts of my mother’s 1938 immigration experience, this post is not about facts. It’s about life. The things that happen to us. The things we can’t control. The manner in which we handle those things makes our life what is – for good, for bad, for the better.