What's Your Story?

January 5, 2014
Everyone has a story to tell… from the tiniest of babes to our elders. Have you ever stopped and looked around in a crowd and try to imagine what stories people would tell you if given the chance? Long before the written word people were telling stories to one another. People would gather around the fire and share their lives. We have lost something in the last ten years or so as technology is threatening to over-run us. Nowadays we share only brief tidbits of ourselves via e-mail, texting, Facebook and Twitter. Our brains are being rewired to think, converse and listen in brief tidbits. When was the last time you sat down and truly listened to another person’s “story” without thinking of your to-do list or trying to multi-task (or rather ‘multi-think’)? Everyone has a story…

One time, in my twenties, I was taking a tour of the Canadian Rockies and was travelling solo on a bus/train tour. I befriended three elderly ladies from New Mexico. They were gracious enough to invite me to dine with them at meals and I found them to be fascinating company. You see, they had a story to tell… It would have been very easy to ignore these three ladies and find people my own age but I felt it was important to listen to their stories and was glad I did. These three ladies were married (now widowed) to nuclear scientists who lived and worked at Los Alamos on the first atomic bomb. They told me stories of what their lives were like and how proud they were to be a part of the project. These ladies taught me that everyone has a story. I often think of them when I see older people on the street and wonder what tales they would like to tell us, if given the chance.

In this New Year, let us be mindful of others stories and listen attentively. (Yes! Even when Uncle Joe tells the “how I survived the Great Depression story” for the millionth time!) Let us give one another the opportunity to share our stories and our faith just as God shares with us, and listens to us, every day of our lives. Let us turn to each other now and ask “What’s your story?”.
-God Bless, Holly Clark