"All that we are is story", according to late Ojibwe author Richard Wagamese. "From the moment we are born to the time we continue on our spirit journey we are involved in the creation of the story of our time here. It is what we arrive with. It is all we leave behind. We are not the things we accumulate. We are not the things we deem important. We are story. All of us. What comes to matter then is the creation of the best possible story we can while we're here; you, me, us together. When we can do that and we take the time to share those stories with each other we get bigger inside, we see each other, we recognize our kinship--we change the world, one story at a time..."
The quote above is from a book by Edith and Neil von Gunten which we have been discussing in our adult education class at church.
The more I think about that quote, the more it makes sense to me, especially in light of our family just having lost someone very close to us (my partner of 55 years, the father of our daughters, and the grandfather of our eight grandchildren). We tell each other stories, and we delight in them, because it is what we have left of him. We can no longer touch him, or see him or hear him, but we remember...and we share our memories. We look at old diary entries, we read old letters, look at pictures...anything to bring his memory back to us.
December is a celebratory month. The celebration is about someone who is no longer with us, physically. His life on earth ended over two thousand years ago but the stories about him have not died!
What stories do you think people might share about you when you are no longer on this earth?
Wishing everyone a Christmas filled with joy, laughter, tears and stories
I'd hope that the memories people have of me aren't about useless, superficial things like the job I had or the things I possessed. All I can hope for is that my days on earth weren't wasted and and that something I did or said made someone else's day better.
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DeleteExactly! When a grandchild was discouraged about something, one of Hardy’s (my husband’s) favorite sayings was “every day is not the same.” The grandchildren will remember this saying! Not all days are good days, but we try to live for the better ones!
Richard Wagamese is one of my absolute favourite authors. So wise and yet makes things so simple. He is all about “story” and has quite the story himself. His book EMBERS has such meaningful meditations. If someone told stories about me when I was gone I hope they would be about how I lived, laughed and loved. Thankyou for sharing your story in this blog!
ReplyDeleteThanks for alerting me to the devotional book by Wagamese, Ruth. I will have to look into it. My quote was from the von Gunten’s book “Walking Together.”
DeleteSo true. God bless you Elfrieda on this the first Christmas without Hardy. I still miss my beloved, especially at times like these when families are together.
ReplyDeleteYes, it’s a new normal, and I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to it! As my mother used to say: “Kommt Zeit, kommt Rat” (With time there is eventually a solution.” So now I just remembered and told a story about my mother!
DeleteThank you for these words, Elfreida. What a wonderful story you have to hold, and that you continue to write. May many stories sustain you in these sacred days.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Bryce, for these encouraging words. I still miss your sermons!
DeleteThe longer I live the more certain I am that writing my stories was the right thing to do. Now my life is an open book, recording joys and sorrows--and above all, God's faithfulness.
ReplyDeleteSoon you will be getting a card from me in the mail. Until then, warm hugs to you, dear Elfrieda. :-D
Thanks, Marian for your friendship and encouragement. Although our friendship is virtual, it feels so real! Hugs back to you and I look forward to my walk to the mailbox!
DeleteWhat a beautiful quote, Elfrieda. I hope my story is one of kindness, inclusivity and laughter. Merry Christmas❤️❤️
ReplyDeleteIf I outlive you (Ha Ha!) I will certainly tell that story about you!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea that life is a story. I send you this rendition of a story that touched my mother's heart when she was young. She memorized it and has recited it often. In this video she spoke the poem to my brother, who, at age 72, has realized how much this poem influenced the way he chose his career of physical therapy and expresses the highest of his goals: to treat other people's parents as if they were his own. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dR7e1O7gNo. Merry Christmas, even through the tears, dear Elfrieda.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Shirley, that was really beautifully done, please thank your mother from me, and I wish you and her and your family a beautiful time together at Christmas!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas, Elfrieda! Thank You, again for another post. I admire you for continuing to "write" your story! May God Bless you as we join together with our loved ones to celebrate the coming of Jesus, our Prince of Peace, Joy and Hope! ❤️🙏
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading, and for your well wishes.
DeleteThank you for highlighting this quote, Elfrieda. Thinking of you in this Advent and Christmas season as we again tell the story of Jesus' birth and live into God's story in our lives. May this season truly be one of hope, peace, joy, and love, April
ReplyDeleteThank you, April. Wishing you a wonderful Christmas celebration as well!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this, Elfrieda. Thinking of you in your first Christmas without Hardy, now a part of your story too.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Dora, you know that story well, you have lived it!
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