There are various factors which contribute to who I am today, and who I will become tomorrow, some are environmentally related and other hereditary. I’ve been told countless times that I have my mother’s eyes,whit and charm, but I am my father’s daughter through and through. Growing up I was not a mommy’s girl or a daddy’s girl, I was always both. My father and I have always shared our gift for water skiing, eye for photography, style of dress, and lack of patience. From my mother I gained, my appreciation for spicy foods, love of the ocean, passion for music and creative flare. As I grow up I have trouble differentiating between what has been passed down onto me, and what is uniquely me, and of these characteristics, what will I pass down. What I do know for sure is that I have a Scott laugh, a Hazel noes and my own footprint. As much as I determine what I have gained from my parents, I cannot help but notice the similarities I share with two people who were not able to be apart of my life. My father’s mother, Madeline passed away when he was seven, and my mother’s father, Deryck when I was still an infant. Although I did not get to spend time with either, I feel that both of them have had a significant effect on who I am, and who I am becoming. I am reminded everyday of the similarities I have with these two striking individuals, who both died at such a young age.
Growing up I was always in such awe over the memory of my Grandma Madeline. By every account, she was the type of woman who can only be categorized as indescribable, her presence was the kind that never went unnoticed. I have spent countless hours sitting in the dark, alone in front of a glowing screen, completely still, captivated by her charisma and beauty as the clicking of the 16 millimeter projector echoed through the room, unable to distract me. She had that allure of a character in a book that no matter who they cast in the film adaptation, they can never measure up to the author’s two page description of her elegance. As I watched reel after reel, I saw her as a mother, a wife, a friend, and most of all, a wild-card. Passionate about capturing moments and saving memories, my Grandmother never left the house without her camera, which she kept under the front seat of her pink Cadillac. Tearing down Highway 15, hand out the window, smile across her face, and a look of reckless abandonment in her eyes. Racing to her pink cottage, where her water-skies, speedboat and sun-kissed children anxiously awaited her arrival. When my Grandmother left, she did so with a legacy, I am thankful for what she left me with, her social grace, love of the water, her 16 millimeter camera, films, photos, but most of all, my father.
Interestingly, my Grandma Madeline was not the only creative influence on my life. Although I do not have any memories of my Grandpa Deryck, after he died my mum began to wear his gold horoscope pendant around her neck, which I was always fixated by, laying beside my mum in her bed pushing it between my fingertips until there was the impression of a crab on to thumb. Although the impression has faded from my fingerprint, my Grandfather’s impact never will. It was not until the end of high school when I began acting, that I learned of my Grandpa Deryck’s greatest gift to me. My Grandfather greatest passion was acting, specifically, theatre. He was strikingly handsome, and equally charming, with the ability to captivate, not just a room, but an entire theatre with his presence. While performing my first monologue I felt like something had taken over me, I was gleaming for days, and quickly enrolled in an acting course. When there I learned that one of my teachers had acted with my Grandfather, as I told him, he took a long pause, smirked at me, and said, “I knew I recognized that spark from somewhere.” Afterwards, he continued to brag about the influence my Grandfather had on him, and how lucky I was to be graced with his talent and eloquence - the innate tendency that could not be learned. Since that day, I have felt a bond with my Grandfather that I did not know existed, this connection where when I am acting, its almost as though he performing through me. Although at a young age my parents knew that I shared my sometimes twisted sense of humour with my Grandfather, it was not until then that they knew where my flare for the dramatics had come from. I have since learned of my Grandpa’s caring, affectionate nature which I am thankful for every time my mum kisses my forehead, or rubs my back lovingly as she holds me snugly.
As I write this essay in the final weeks of my third year as a Film Major, there is no question to how my grandparents have influenced where I am today. While I cannot predict where I am heading, what I do know is that the gifts these two incredible figures have provided me leave me with endless opportunities. As I plan my future endeavors I hope to carry their presence along the way, and embrace the ways in which I can allow their legacies to continue on.
