Family Legacies - M's Gems

A New Dynasty

By: Melissa Goldberg

Golden Rainbow

How has your family influenced you in your life? Wow. Sounds like a college entrance application essay question. For some people they will spend a lifetime trying to escape their legacy and then for others they will walk in their parents footsteps. Either way there is no doubt about it, our families play a huge part on who we are and who we will become.

When you look up the word legacy in the dictionary, the definition is not very descriptive. Simply, “something handed down or received from an ancestor or predecessor. “

On this weeks radio show we chatted with Cynthia's client and friend, Stephen Simon, who is a film producer and executive for over thirty-five years. He is the co-founder of the Spiritual Cinema Circle and an Author. If anyone has a story to tell it is Stephen. Stephen grew up in the late forties and fiftyʼs inside a famous Hollywood family. His father was Sylvan Simon, a famous film producer and was often in the backyard flipping burgers with his close friends Red Skeleton, Abbot and Costello and Frank Sinatra.

Stephen recently published a new book, "Bringing Back the Old Hollywood", sharing many of his stories about growing up in a family of Hollywood royalty. He had everything in his home, chefs, housekeepers and butlers. Talk about a child of privilege. What was difficult for Stephen, was his years trying to escape his legacy and become an individual away from his family. It was then he learned that his childhood lifestyle was not an entitlement and that it was his parents lifestyle and not his. Stephen spoke about a interview Will Smith had on Oprah a few years ago. When Oprah asked about his son and his life, Will shared a conversation he had with his Jayden. Jayden asked Will if they were rich and Will answered “Mom and Dad are rich, youʼre broke”. This hit home for Stephen, since he was not given that simple and smart advice by his parents. Instead he figured all this out the hard way, with his up and downs, successes and failures over the years.

On the other hand, Stephen shared his passion for “old Hollywood” and wants to restore it and keep it alive. In his new book, Stephen Simon talks about his love and passion of “old Hollywood”. His work over the years is a product of his family legacy and a great example about how important it is to put your family legacy down on paper and preserve it.

Here are a couple of Gemʼs in keeping your families legacy alive.

Create a Family Cookbook - I only wish Iʼd learned a little more about my Grandmotherʼs recipes. I believe my Aunt may have a lot of them and my next project will be to get those recipes written down for myself or better yet for my children. Along with writing down the recipes, include the person whose recipe it is, the history of the recipe and what special occasions it was made. Donʼt forget photos! There are several web sites to help you gather the information and have a book published. Check out www.heritagecookbook.com for ideas on making a family cookbook.

Make a Family Scrapbook - Stephen Simonʼs book Bringing Back the Old Hollywood is in itself a scrapbook about is family life growing up and his family legacy. It is also a collection of stories and memories of the old Hollywood life, inside and outside the classic films from his childhood. Taking the time to gather memories is a wonderful gift for yourself and for your children. There are several resources to help get you started. One way to start is to gather photos, mementos and newspaper clippings. You can interview older relatives and make sure to get all the facts written down on paper, on audio or video. Some great questions to ask are: How did your family come to live here? What was the house you grew up in like? How many bedrooms, bathrooms? What kind of games did you play growing up? Did you have chores? What were they and which was your least favorite? There are websites and resources to help put all this information together. Check out www.mycraftbook.com or www.marthastewart.com.

Take a Trip Down Memory Lane - Not too long ago, my sister took her boyfriend on a small adventure to Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, NY. They went to the house we grew up in. The owners happened to be outside and my sister approached them to introduce herself and politely explain why she was gawking at the house. The owners were the same family that bought the house from our parents and remembered my sister. They insisted she come in and see the house and stay for lunch. I love that my sister was able to share a piece of her history with her significant other and was able to enjoy an afternoon down memory lane.

Organize Your Photos - I know I have a whole bunch of photos sitting in boxes, unorganized and waiting to be put into a photo albums. These projects are tough to find time to do, but it is so important to make sure you organize and keep these photos intact. When I look at photos now from my childhood I am amazed at how life was so different 30 years ago. I love showing these photos to my children. Just last week I shared a photo of myself as a child and people were amazed at my daughterʼs resemblance. Itʼs part of her legacy and Iʼm glad I will be able to share the photos and stories with her when she gets older.

Remember the Apple Doesnʼt Fall Far from the Tree - Things that may have driven you crazy growing up can actually come through as some of your biggest and best qualities. Right now Iʼm going through the realization when Iʼm talking to my kids I sound exactly like my mom... Mirror Mirror on the wall, I am my mother after all (which is a good thing).

I am a product of my family legacy and I am thankful. I cherish the gift of my motherʼs perseverance and strength and my fatherʼs courage and shrewdness. My love of baseball comes from my grandfather David and my love of cooking probably comes from my Aunt Diane. This week Stephen inspired me to be more dedicated in getting these memories down on paper and making sure to preserve them...I think this is how Mommas Pearls came to be...writing down the pearls of wisdom we have learned from our family legacy and passing them down.

Enjoy!