What do you do when you come across journals, letters or personal stories written decades ago by a stranger? Do you throw them away without looking at them or do you take the time to read them?
As for me, I’m innately curious. I’m excited to discover a bit about the past and what was important to the writers, so of course I take the time to read such documents.
A year or so ago, I was pleasantly surprised whenRead More
Author’s Note: Throughout the month of July, I ran a contest called, “Is There a Legacy in Your Midst?” Individuals nominated a friend or family member to receive a complimentary 30-minute interview and document package from Lasting Legacies. Ms. Valya Shapiro was randomly drawn as the winner. She owns and operates Turnkey Living, Inc., an interior design company outside of Boston, Massachusetts. During our interview, I was impressed by her thoughtful responses and her poignant storytelling ability. I think that you will find the following excerpt of her quest to find freedom through education compelling and inspiring.
Dalene Bickel: Valya, I was hoping that you could share about your childhood in Turkey.
Valya Shapiro: I was born in Istanbul to a Jewish family whose ancestors left Spain in 1492 after the Inquisition, so I have an approximate 500-year history in Turkey. It’s a history which, unfortunately when I grew up, was tumultuous for me.
I was a young child during World War II. Even though Turkey ultimately decided not to enter the War, my father was taken to a concentration camp anyway. It began as a tax that was imposed on all Turkish citizens, but the minority groups (there were three small segments of us in Turkey – Greeks, Armenians, and Jews) were taxed beyond what they could afford. If they could not pay the full amount, they were taken away. Read More
A bona fide bookworm, my love of reading began in early childhood. Even though I possessed my own mini-library at home, I was always looking for new stories to read. Thus, I eagerly anticipated our occasional visits to the local public library.Read More
Ever since the introduction of the automobile, Americans have been busily traversing our country’s roadways for work and play. It has broadened our horizons and led us to new destinations, creating innumerable memories in the process. Yet to get from point A to point B, our vehicles require more than a key in the ignition.Read More