Love and Learnings

My favorite part of the process of making these episodes and editing all of the audio was listening to my Omi's voice over and over again. Even before working on this project, I would sometimes record our conversations and play them back for myself to hear her voice. I am an incredibly sentimental person and recognizing that my Omi is getting up in age (even though she is just as strong and sharp as ever) having the physical recordings means a lot to me. I love the way she says, "and that's the end of question 2." If you listen closely, you can hear me chuckle at the end of each question. Those cutoffs were her way of navigating the conversation and keeping me from pushing her too far outside of her comfort zone. 

The most challenging part of conducting this interview was actually getting my Omi to do it the way I had it laid out! As I mentioned, I shared my questions with her in advance. My hope was that in doing so, she would have the opportunity to take notes on her thoughts and the conversation would flow smoothly. She instead wrote out exactly what she wanted to share and offered to email me back the questions with her written response. When I told her that was not my vision at all and I planned to ask her the questions on the phone so that they could be recorded she responded, "no no noooo... It'd be much more efficient my way." I spent at least twenty minutes convincing her to read her answers aloud so that I could record. Before the project even began, when I shared with her that I wanted to learn more about her life, she told me that she didn't have much to share. I have always considered her story extraordinary, and I never understood why she was so humble about what she's accomplished. 

In our interview, I further recognized her humility and dedication to our family. It brought tears to my eyes to hear her say that my papa was, "the most sincere man she has ever met." I have seen her respect and uphold his legacy even after his passing. Before then, I saw them love and care for each other each and every day. The partnership that they nourished is the inspiration for my mom and I's belief in love. While I knew that my Omi had fertility issues before becoming pregnant with my TT Nessa (my mom's oldest sister), I didn't know that she had experienced miscarriages or that she was bedridden for the entirety of her pregnancy. As the baby of her third child, I feel so grateful that she was blessed to have a family and didn't give up on us. 

I think that the lessons that stood our for me the most from our conversation are the following:

1. If we're so fortunate, life is long and it will have many seasons. It is important to be patient with yourself, the people you're in relationship with, and God. Each era will look different. I think about how much my Omi's life has changed over time. She went from picking blueberries on the countryside in Germany to learning how to cook soul food from her sisters-in-law to raising her own three babies and then watching her two granddaughters grow up in the light of everything she built with my Papa. I can appreciate the courage it takes to face a changing world and I admire her ability to adapt to the different seasons in her life. 

2. Sometimes the little things really are the big things. My Omi talked to me about going down to an American bar with her girlfriend and meeting my papa, the love of her life and "the most sincere man she has ever known." I thought that story was beautiful because it was a small decision that led to the entire rest of her life. It gives me reassurance that everything that is meant to be will come to pass and that taking the opportunity to enjoy life has the potential to change your life.