This picture was taken during the filming of the video. Yes, I had notes! Charlotte Sadd Lechlak is off to the right taking a picture.
|
Getting ready to tell my story.
|
A picture from behind taken by the young man who did the editing of the film. Charlotte Sadd Lechlak is to the left and Ruth Skaff, who led the video project for the Arab American National Museum is sitting in front of me.
|
Denise Mickel Russell
It is so important to tell our stories. I feel more and more strongly about this as I grow older and I realize that I don't have all of the stories of my parents and grandparents documented. Oh how I wish I could go back and fix this problem.
Never did I imagine that a wonderful opportunity would present itself to record a video of stories and memories that I do have. Although it is short video, it is the beginning of more to come. What a gift!
Cherish your memories and document them in writing or on a video. Get together with your family and make a video as a group, or sit down in front of the camera as I did and tell a story. You will be glad that you did.❤️
It is so important to tell our stories. I feel more and more strongly about this as I grow older and I realize that I don't have all of the stories of my parents and grandparents documented. Oh how I wish I could go back and fix this problem.
Never did I imagine that a wonderful opportunity would present itself to record a video of stories and memories that I do have. Although it is short video, it is the beginning of more to come. What a gift!
Cherish your memories and document them in writing or on a video. Get together with your family and make a video as a group, or sit down in front of the camera as I did and tell a story. You will be glad that you did.❤️
Filmed on July 6, 2019 in The Westin, Charlotte, NC during the Southern Federation of Syrian Lebanese Americans annual Convention for the archives at the Arab American National Museum which is located in Dearborn, MI.
Submission to the Posteriori of Lebanon Essay Contest – Second Place Winner
By Denise Mickel Russell
Kfeirian Family Club
May 1, 2020
All my life I grew up knowing that I was Kfeirian and that my nationality was Lebanese. My cousin and I spent months planning the trip to Kfeir when the National Federation made it possible in the summer of 2019 to travel there. We went over and over how we would get there, who would be our escort, how we would get past the military checkpoints and what sites we wanted to see once we were in our village. On the day of our departure for Kfeir, we were not prepared for the overwhelming feelings we experienced in anticipation of what was to come. So together we went, eighteen family and friends embarked on a remarkable journey to south Lebanon at the base of Mount Herman to the land where our parents were born.
On the semi-paved roads to the village of Kfeir, we were welcomed by the amazing Kfeirians that opened their arms and their hearts and swept us into their church, their homes, their cemetery, their village. Through their smiles and generosity they showed us the land of our fathers and mothers. Their excitement was exhilarating. We were pulled in different directions, as we met our new cousins and they beckoned us to “Come see, come see!”
I think about our trip every day. The images are hard to erase and I’m grateful for this. We are proud of our Kfeirian heritage and we dream of returning one day soon to our village to walk these roads again.