Issue #52
Do you care for the stories in and about your life? Stories are the memories of who we are and where we have gone. Stories remind us of what is important and what we want to remember. Do you take care of your family stories, those tales that create the collective you? Each time I share a story, I give a piece of myself away.
One of the stories that circulated in my family was about when I was seven or eight and lived on a farm. My father worked the second shift at a factory because the farm did not give us enough money to live on. The cows meandered out into the cornfield one summer afternoon after my father had left. Now, this can be dangerous for the cows because they don't know when to stop eating, and they could kill themselves by eating too much corn.
My mother and I attempted to chase the cows back into the barn but were unsuccessful. She went into the house to call my father and have him come home from work. She told me to come in as well and leave the cows alone. I prayed to God and asked that He help me drive the cows back to the barn. And by some miracle, I did. God answered my prayer.
What I have never understood is why the prayer was answered when the result was I disobeyed my mother. That story has circulated within my family for years and gave me the impression that I had a special connection to God. That connection was broken when I was seventeen, but that is a story for another time.
What are your family stories? What are the tales that have helped to create the person who you are? What stories are you repeating over and over to people? What stories are you hiding that you have been unwilling to share? What stories do you need to change because they hurt you and hold you back from becoming who you want to be? Are you taking good care of your stories? Have you written them down? Made them available to others?
As you gather with family and friends this holiday season, spend time sharing stories and memories. Tell funny stories that make you laugh and sad stories that make you cry together. Our stories are what make us who we are. Celebrate your stories and your family's stories.
Plant seeds of hope in the hearts of others.
Family stories are so impactful and I've found so much insight in uncovering mine. It can be painful to "dig up" some of our stories, but when we own the narrative, it no longer owns us. We can also rewrite what we thought was true with what was actually true. Thank you for this important reminder and for the questions we should all ask ourselves.