Author Ruth Smith Meyer

"Tell me a story!" was a request I often posed to my mother or my grandmother as I grew up.  They often complied and I would listen raptly.  I loved the stories about their childhood, their growing-up years.  As I grew older, many more tidbits emerged as my sisters, mother and I worked together.  Many of those stories I still remember.  Maybe that is the impetus behind my desire to write.

My great-grandmother (Mom's own grandmother) died before my birth, but she, too lives on through her wise sayings, passed on in those story-telling moments.  One example--Great-grandma used to say "You can have anything you want in life as long as you want the right things."  Just think of that next time you long for something.  For me, it put my needs and my wants in proper perspective.

Then there was the story of the summer my grandfather couldn't afford a hired man during the depression.  He apologetically asked if his teenage girls would help him with the farm work for this one harvesting season.  They did it gladly and found pleasure in helping this quiet, appreciative man who was their father.  At Christmas, they were surprised to each get a rather expensive wrist watch as a thank-you gift.  The expression of love and pleasure on Mom's face as she told us about it spoke volumes about the relationship between a sensitive father and willing daughters.

Those stories provided a good base for my life and have often helped me through difficult times or inspired my parenting and my life-work.  They provided a real sense of knowing, belonging and a place in the continuing saga of family.  They gave me roots and provided me with wings.

Story-telling as a Way of Community Building was the theme for the weekend workshop at our church.  We were given teaching and examples, then on Saturday night had a time of actually sharing our stories. It happened--some of that understanding of each other, some of that community building happened, but just enough to make us realize that we could benefit from continuing the practice. If we do, our relationships could grow far beyond what we have achieved. 

My father used to say that if we learn from history, we don't have to make all our own mistakes.  True!  But we also can learn from the successess and the wisdom of those in our past and in our present.

--If we share the stories--the riches from the libraries of our lives.