Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Storytelling

I have always loved to read books.  I love to watch a good television show, or a well put together movie.  I have also loved to sit and listen to people talk.  All of these things have one thing in common-stories. I love to listen to stories.  The best kind are the true to life. 

I grew up listening to my father tell stories of his childhood, of growing up as a kid during a war.  He told of his father raising rabbits for the war effort, and about his ma's love of boats.  I've listened to my (great) Uncle Paul tell about how he and his brothers (including my grampa) got into trouble-from hopping trains to fights.  I've listened to my pastor's mother talk about when Tommy was a little boy.  I love to listen to my children retell stories of happy events in their lives. I've even talked to relative strangers, while sitting in the comfy green chairs at Barnes & Noble, and heard their stories of living, and learning, and working.

I truly enjoy listening to people tell their stories.  And listening to a person tell a story is better than reading even, because you see their memories play out in their eyes, and see the emotion of their hearts.  I can think of no better way to learn about people than to sit with them and listen to their stories.

Won't you tell me your stories?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I like your love of not only being a good storyteller(writer)but of being a good listener of stories of other,especially older,people. A vast wealth of emotional information is available by doing so.I so wish I could still hear my dad telling the stories that his parents,who migrated down from Canada, shared of the 1800's and dads stories of growing up on the farm in the upper peninsula of Michigan in the early 1900's. Keep up the good work Laura.