Thank God for stories

I have been grateful for the stories that I have been able to hear and read in my life. They have been the beginning of my own stories. 

Story tellers have been the means of passing on the lessons and wisdom down through all civilizations. My father was a story teller. He was a history teacher at Pleasant Grove Jr. High. He taught English and History there for many years. When we traveled together in the car, he would tell us stories of the pioneers of Utah or the settlers of America. I could listen for hours as he created the images and characters in my minds eye. They came to life as he described their hardships and triumphs. It helped to pass the time when there were 7 or 8 squished into our car. I think he would be proud of me now. I have attempted to carry on his story telling, I hope one day to be able to capture his abilities.

I have several boxes of genealogy that I brought back to Escalante, I got them from my mother. I have looked briefly through them to see what those boxes contained. I have pages and pages of names and dates. The names and dates are from my ancestors, many from this area and some who lived in this house. I have been disappointed because there are very few stories about those ancestors. I can look at a birth date and a death date and wonder what came between those 60 or 80 years. I know they must have lived lives that were worthy of some notes. I am sure there may have even been some stories worthy of a major motion picture. I looked at the old Black and White pictures I found in those boxes. I can only imagine the stories behind them, only some have names and others are left blank.

I was up in my attic last year, organizing, compacting, and labeling some of the old things that were left here over the past 131 years. While I was there with a flashlight and a vacuum I discovered a small bundle of wrapped cotton with a ribbon tied around it. I carefully untied the ribbon and unrolled the bundle. Inside I found another ribbon tied carefully around a long braid of reddish hair. My mind immediately began to wonder at who it belonged to, why it was here behind the old pictures of my ancestors and why it was carefully tucked away in this little niche. I wish it had come with a note or a letter to explain more...

I have enjoyed the short quotes and statements that are posted here on face book. Most are from someone else’s posting. They are clever and thought provoking and humorous. Some of the humor I have been embarrassed to pass on, but I still laugh out loud at our world and the things we do.

The things I find most meaningful are the personal stories of triumph over tragedy. Those personal insights to lessons learned have helped to make my own journey lighter. I thank you all for daring to share your personal lives and inner thoughts and allowing me to hear the rest of your story. When I see you now, I see more than a name and a birthday. I hope to hear more of your successes and your failures. I would rather hear it from you now, before I have to read about you in an obituary. I would love to ask questions and hear about the experiences that gave you the wisdom that made you into the amazing beings that you are. 

In the beginning, before there were people, there were no stories. Only a hope of ...  “Once upon a time...”

Thank God for stories.