This article is part 1 of 3 on Story Telling.
Every day we get up, get dressed and live our lives, whether at home, school or at work. Throughout the day things happen, sometimes it is something nice that makes us happy and other times it is simply a bad day full of challenges and unpleasant experiences. When the latter occurs, you just want to get home, go to bed, forget about what happened and wake up with a fresh start.
This is life, and it reminds me of Ecclesiastes1:14 where the writer says: “I have seen all things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” We are born, go to school, if privileged enough we go to college/university, get a job, marry, have kids, grow old and when our time is up, we leave this earth. I know, it sounds like routine and for some a chase after the wind. But, what about what happens in between, those things that happen in our 20/40/60/80 years of life?
I remember sitting at my dad and aunt’s feet, listening to the stories they told of when they were kids. I loved listening to how they grew up and what they did as children. Every story had a punch line, a memorable experience and a lesson learnt. I never left without being touched by their life experiences and even now as an adult, I am reminded of what I have learnt through them sharing their life journeys.
I recall my dad telling me that they too, as children, sat around candlelight, listening to the stories told by their parents. He said that they were a big family and they learned to appreciate everything, especially each other, since they had to rely on one another to survive. I want to share some of these stories with you, of which the first will be in this article, Part 1 of 3.
My dad and his siblings would come from school and having nothing much to eat, lunch would be a spoon full of corn. That was it! No extras! I was so humbled by this as there are many emotions around this one story, which again formed other stories to be told, as experienced differently by each sibling. Let us unpack this first story:
There was grandma, who knew her kids were hungry and probably would have wanted more to eat. However, she gave what she had. For a mother, this must have hurt and made her feel like she could not properly provide for her kids. She obviously could not show weakness, hence she must have kept the feeding session brief and ordered them to carry on with their chores.
Then there were the kids, who probably did not understand why they could not have more to eat. As children, it is normal to compare and even experience some form of jealously towards those who had more. I assume the older ones, like my dad and aunt, understood better. However, not making it easier.
Off course then there was granddad, who tried his best to farm. During the day he was alone and only got help from the older boys, once school was out. Let us just be reminded, that in those days, families in general were bigger, since birth control was not exercised like today. So, granddad knew he had to work hard to provide for his wife and feed many mouths. Most men in general do not talk about their emotions and feelings like women do, but I am sure that he must have talked to God many times, not knowing what else to do. That must have also been another story to tell.
How humbled I am to learn from my dad’s experiences. This is but one story, but there were many others told. When we take time to listen when people speak, we will hear their life stories, journeys, challenges, joys, fears, and cries for help.
The sad thing is, is that many people are focussed only on themselves that they miss life around them completely. When we put in an effort to listen and hear what others have to say, we can learn from them. Yes, not all you hear is good, but listen anyway. You can ditch the bad and keep the good and then use it to improve, empower, and make a difference in your life and the lives of others.
Love in Christ
Princess K
