“Stories are all
around us,” writes Glenda Bonin.
“They reside in
people, places and things, and are waiting to be discovered.”
So true.
Not just stories: God-and-you
stories.
Take a fresh look at
possessions you could never give away or throw out.
What do you store in
a special drawer or safe deposit box?
What would you stash
in a safe place if tornado sirens sounded? What would you grab if your smoke
alarm went off?
Look around and identify
something you’ve owned for years and use a lot.
If those items could
talk, what would they tell?
I think about that
question—a lot.
A few years ago I
gave away a set of dishes to a family that lost everything in a fire. I tucked
a note inside that read:
“I bought these
dishes in Africa and we used them during our seventh and eighth years there, and
here in the States all these years since then. While you use them, ask
yourself, ‘If these dishes could talk, what stories would they tell?’”
Some day I want to
write—I need to write—stories based on my old blue American Tourister carry-on
bag (a gift from Schiefelbeins in 1993—thanks Rick and Marilyn!).
That bag has traveled
with us for 27 years now—from this planet’s most primitive places to the world’s
most sophisticated cities. What stories it could tell! Not just stories, but
God-and-me-stories.
What stories could
my husband’s grandmother’s aluminum colander tell? My mother-in-law passed it
on to me 53 years ago. And yes, it could tell stories—stories about five generations
so far. My daughter has asked me to pass it on to her eventually. Who knows how
many more generations will tell stories about it?
Look at your dining
room table. Ask yourself, “If it could talk, what stories would it tell?” (Click
to read two of my posts, Vera Bachman’s Table, and Your dinner table memories.)
“If these old boots
could talk, what stories would they tell?” (See my recent post about my safari
boots at The dust of Africa had penetrated my skin pores and entered into my soul.)
If your old Bible
could talk, what stories would it tell?
What about a photo?
A photo album? A book?
A washing machine?
A piece of art?
Jewelry? A scarf?
Your dad’s old hat?
Your mother’s old
coffee mug?
Your grandmother’s
rocking chair?
Your old high school
yearbook?
“Don’t be timid
about interviewing yourself and others,” continues Glenda.
“A good interviewer
asks questions and waits for answers. . . . Listen deeply, allowing as much time as needed for quiet moments of
thought. Do not rush in with a new question until you are satisfied that the
question has been fully explored.
“It is not unusual
for one question to lead to another. . . . These moments are often where the
best family stories can be found. . . .” (Glenda Bonin at Storyteller.net)
Remember: while you’ve
been using and cherishing those items, God has been alongside you, working in
you, working on your behalf.
Stories are all
around.
You don’t need news-making miracles
to witness God at work.
He is in
your everyday comings and goings.
Oswald Chambers says:
“We look for visions
from heaven
and for earth-shaking
events to see God’s power.
Yet we never realize
that all the time
God is at work in
our everyday events. . . .”
Write your stories!
Leave a legacy for
your kids, grandkids,
and great-grands!
this theme got me thinking. I many items from both sides of my family, several of them on display above my kitchen cabinets. As I look around, I wonder what stories my Grandmother S's coffee grinder could tell. Then there's my Grandparents M's chamber pot. That could be quite a story. But seriously, I'd love to find the time to write the story of a coverlet woven by my great-great-great-grandmother that came over the Oregon trail.
ReplyDeleteOH, Linda, what treasures you have! I do hope you'll write those stories, and when you do, please let me know. :)
ReplyDelete