BestOf STA 3 568

Aunt Josie Won't Like It

It’s not uncommon in many families that one person has the designation as the individual you would least want to disappoint. It may be a grandmother or favorite aunt or uncle. For sure it’s the person whom your mother would threaten to expose your latest misbehavior or a choice of which she disapproved. Upsetting your parents was one thing, but “Please, please, please don’t tell grandma!”. In my dad’s family it was his Aunt Josie.

May 8 marks the date of what would have been my parents 69th wedding anniversary. Dad passed away in ten years ago. In 2002, I interviewed my parents for a video I was preparing for their 50th wedding anniversary party. The subject of their different religions was a topic that, no doubt, created some controversy in my dad’s family. 


American radio and television personality, Art Linkletter, made famous the phrase, "Kids say the darndest things." That may be true, but after interviewing scores of older people over the last few decades I can honestly say truth ripens with age. A lot less filtering and more to the point. 

I'm asked, "Why do people want to tell their stories?" Surprisingly, it's not about fame or even being remembered for all time (though families will). More often then not it’s simply to say, "We got through this, you can too."

For me, when you get right down to it, it's simply seeing their face and hearing their voice. Dad passed away June 18, 2010. It's been nearly 10 years since I've seen and heard him in person.  Yet, here he is...

Bonus videos...

When dad first came a'calling he faced the age old question of how do you win over the parents of the girl you hope to marry.  A local grass fire, a quick recruitment into fire-fighting and a half-pint of whiskey (it was the 1950s) provided him the opportunity as to how to curry favor over his future father-in-law.

I love him...I love her...not words I ever heard my parents say to each other. Nor did I ever ask them how they felt about each other. Not until the day we recorded their interviews in 2002. The day I really discovered the true meaning of “For Better or Worse”.