Grannie Annie: "I feel like a blog" and Balancing Film and Family.

I spent this past weekend at Grannie Annie's. I always take my camera with me, but this weekend I was attending a funeral for a soldier killed in Afghanistan and didn't have the strength, emotional or otherwise, to take my equipment or to film.

While attending the funeral I was absolutely moved by the show of support from the soldier's hometown, Yorktown, TX. Those who didn't fit in the church lined the streets for miles with flags and signs of love and gratitude for this soldier. I'm not kidding, they were lined up for miles as we made our way from the church to the cemetery. The whole community showed up; the whole community grieved. It was a surreal event to witness. Having only the camera in my cell phone, I snapped pictures - all I could think was I wanted our soldiers overseas to see this and know how much they are loved and I wound up putting them together in this short video. (Click here for video)

From putting this simple video together, I am reminded of two things: 1/ to not be afraid to take risks and just jump in and make the film (despite having to improvise and shoot on my cell phone and edit in just a few hours) and 2/ despite living in Texas for over 15 years, I am still awed by the beauty of life in these "small" communities.

Back at Grannie Annie's house and with no camera with which to film her, it turned out to be one of the best times I've spent with her in a while - I was able to just "be" with her - which reminded me all over again why she's so special. When I'm filming, it seems I'm always concerned about the shot or the sound and kicking myself for missing something and hoping she'll do it again. I've had a number of offers from other filmmakers to come down and shoot for me, but I've been concerned that a stranger with a camera in her house would kind of wig her out. But on the other hand, she seems to sparkle a bit more when she has company - plus, there is much to our interactions that reveal a lot about her and her influence on me.... hmmmm, one of the major themes of Grandmother Storyteller.... hmmmm, I'm talking myself into something here....

While visiting with Grannie Annie I mentioned that she now has a fanpage on FaceBook and her very own blog. "A blog?", she responded, "well, that's about right, I feel like a blog." I love her way with words.

Sorry, I know in my 1st post I told you Grandmother Storyteller is a lighthearted documentary and these last 2 posts have greatly concerned death. But if I've learned anything from Grannie Annie, it's that life isn't always easy or fair - but it's important to maintain your sense of humor, even when you feel like a blog.