There's a process that I go through in finding my guests. I spend lot's of time searching on the internet and reading newspapers and magazines, reading anything really. I've got a 'small world' story to share with you about my guest, Lorraine Duffy Merkl. But before I do that, I want to tell you that I found her NY Times "Tiny Love Story" feature one Sunday morning and I knew I wanted to interview her. Her story was touching and poignant all within 100 or less, which is very hard to do. It's entitled "True Tales of Love."
Once Lorraine and I agreed on a date and time to record the interview, I started doing more research on her background and experience. On her website, http://lorraineduffymerkl.com/, I found one of her demo reels from way back when she was writing and producing promos for a number of different tv networks. As I'm listening to one of her promo reels, I thought I heard something that sounded vaguely familiar. On her promo reel for Lifetime Television was my voice over featured on at least 3 of her promos. It turns out we had worked together back in the early to mid to late 90's and neither of us recalled meeting, let alone working together. I was in the recording booth and she in the master control room. We were both in awe and thanking the universe for bringing us back together. This time I was interviewing Lorraine and asking her the questions.
Now on to the the real story of Lorraine and her mother Angelina. Angelina raised her only daughter, Lorraine, as a single mom after her husband left when Lorraine was only two years old. Yes, she had the help of her mother, Lorraine's grandmother, but it wasn't easy. We all know that it's tough being a single parent. But after seven years of being out of the work force, scared and nervous, mom went back to work taking an entry level position as an operator at a phone company at the age of 42. Angelina had never gone to college yet retired decades later as an executive from that same company.
"My mom was a member of the Greatest Generation, she experienced the Depression and poverty, went back to work though frightened and did all of this so my life would be easier," says Merkl. "Together we can fight over anything or standup to anyone," reflects Lorraine.
In time, Angelina would reveal things to her daughter saying "I was holding on by a thread." In order for Angelina to keep things organized at home, she felt that she had to be tough and discipline her daughter. Lorraine feels that her mom was "operating off of fear all the time." Again, it's understandable when your husband walks away and leaves you to raise your daughter .
Lorraine so admires her mother, "being apart brought us closer together," reflects Merkl. At 24 years old, after having moved out on her own, she and her mother became friends and so enjoyed each other's company. "She was a giver, not a taker, helpful and kind.
At the time of this interview, Angelina is living with and being cared for by her daughter. She is 98 years old and suffering from dementia. My guest has so many wonderful memories of her mother, including advice for her to "stick up for yourself," "mom always wanted me to be somebody who could stick up for themselves," says Lorraine.
Don't let anyone fool you. Angelina is one of 13 children of an Italian family and raised in the Bronx, NY. She was very smart as well as being very street smart.