Storytelling

Once upon a time...

What tales of heroes, adventure, magic and happy endings those words bring back! And with them, what sweet memories of the parents, grandparents and others who told them.

In all cultures, stories have played the role of explaining the mysteries of life, recounting historical moments and illustrating common values. In some, it's still the principal means of transferring the knowledge and history of thousands of years. In cultures such as ours, where factual information saturates everyday life, telling our own story can be a way of creating connection between generations and giving meaning to the passage of time, for the benefit of both the listener and the teller.

"Tell me about what it was like when you were young," children ask. "Tell me more stories of when I was little." There are so many stories to tell... our own, and those that others have handed down to us. Just recently, I told my granddaughter the story of her great-great-grandmother, her great- grandmother, her grandmother and her mother. She reflected that we all had many things in common. The telling of those stories not only contributed to my granddaughter's sense of belonging to a long lineage of determined women but also to my own perspective on my life and its place in family history.

This issue of Expression is about the benefits of recounting our life. It's also about the many simple ways of leaving a legacy while creating intimacy and building bridges between generations that have the same human need of connection and purpose.

Anne Skuba
NACA member, Manitoba