Local couple publishes new book ‘150 Years of Marriage’
The title of Ron and Crystal Meinstein’s new book is “150 Years of Marriage,” but it’s about much more than love and family. It includes lessons on history, life and the importance of sharing your stories.
“It goes all the way back to when my wife and I first met,” Ron Meinstein said. “We grew up 15 miles apart in the suburbs of Chicago but didn’t meet until college at Bradley University. We started talking about our parents and realized they both met during World War II.”
Ron and Crystal Meinstein’s parents had fascinating stories to tell, but it wasn’t until much later in life they thought about recording their family history.
“Around 2000 or so, we had a little more time and decided it would be nice to leave a legacy of family history,” Ron Meinstein said. “We had no ideas about publishing it at that time. Growing up, history was my least favorite subject. I couldn’t stand all the dates and information about the wars, but I liked personal history stories about how people grew up and the way different cultures do things.”
Both of Ron Meinstein’s parents were from Germany. His mom was a poor farm girl. His dad, however, was sent to America at the age of 13 but came back to Germany after he enlisted in the service.
“He was in counterintelligence,” Ron Meinstein said. “The first time he met my mom, she was out after curfew with a girlfriend and he yelled at them.”
Crystal Meinstein’s parents met one night at a USO Club and didn’t see each other for well over a year after her father left with the U.S. Navy.
“They fell in love by mail,” Crystal Meinstein said.
Their parents’ stories and their own are told throughout the book, and the Meinsteins made sure to show the time period each story is set in. The chapters can be read as individual stories or all together.
They share their feelings on everything from historical moments like President Kennedy being shot to how their own older relatives influenced their lives.
“We talk about my grandparents and what happened in their lives,” Crystal Meinstein said. “I even knew my great-grandmother. Our families did a lot of baking and cooking and passed things on from generation to generation.”
When they decided to write down their family stories, the couple was lucky enough to still have their parents around to interview.
“We were able to get details from them and have them tell us stories they heard in their family,” Ron Meinstein said.
The last section of the book focuses on marriage. Ron Meinstein’s parents were married for more than 60 years, Crystal’s for more than 50 and the Meinsteins have been married for 42 years.
“There are a lot of problems with marriage in America,” Ron Meinstein said. “We hope that things we learned from our parents and our own experiences can help some people.”
The couple also has a website at www.marriagememoir.com, where they share their thoughts on marriage and family.
When Ron and Crystal Meinstein decided to try and get their book published, they had to stay determined.
“We got shot down a lot,” Ron Meinstein said.
Crystal Meinstein found encouragement from the National Association of Memoir Writers and the local Write-on Writers group.
They finally landed with a good editor and Torchflame Books. Their book, “150 Years of Marriage,” can be found on Amazon for $18.99. The couple encourages people to leave reviews there or on www.goodreads.com.
“I hope people enjoy the book and that they learn some things too,” Ron Meinstein said. “There are a lot of life lessons in it, and not just about marriage. Some things are timeless. We are both Christians, and it’s written from a Christian point of view.”
Crystal Meinstein hopes it encourages conversations. “Talk to your relatives,” she said. “Ask grandma and mom about their own families. Our grandchildren are very interested in stories. Young people are interested in what happened and why things were so different.”
Category: People & Places
