Family Stories
We were a little scared of my great-grandmother. She wasn't silly like most of our relatives and she expected children to behave themselves. We were quiet, and cautious…until the stories began. Our favorite was the story of Great-Grandma and the famous outlaw, John Dillinger.
My great-grandfather, whom I never knew, was a friendly, outgoing man, as many Irishmen were said to be then. About once a year, his outgoingness would get a little out of hand and he'd get drunk. The sherrif would haul him off to jail for an evening to sober up before sending him on his way.
One such evening, his cell-mate was John Dillinger, public enemy number one and the world's most infamous bank robber. Great-grandpa and John hit it off right away and had a grand time of their evening in jail. When it was time for Great-grandpa to be taken home, he, with good Irish hospitality, invited his new friend John to stop by for a visit sometime when he was in town again.
And one day, John did. Since John Dillinger was known as the man no jail could hold, he was in town because he was running from the FBI, who wanted to get him off their ten most wanted list once again. He remembered the invitation from his prison roommate and decided to stop in for a visit. The joy of the reunion was tempered just a bit by the fact that G-men were circling the house with their guns, waiting for him to emerge, but not to worry. A visit was a visit. However, the children were frightened, and John, even though he was an outlaw, must have had a soft spot for children, because he didn't want them to be afraid. He took them into his lap and spent the evening telling them thrilling stories of his adventures, and soon they were happy to be a part of the legacy of stories that would continue to be told.
We loved hearing this story, and asked for it again and again. As we grew older, we were amused that she remembered John Dillinger as one of the kindest men she'd ever known, and the Wright Brothers the most worthless she'd ever known, always fiddling with their silly flying machines instead of getting real jobs like decent men. The stories became our legacy, and will be handed down to generations of enthusiastic children.
While you might never be entertained by John Dillenger or annoyed by the Wright Brothers, your life has stories. The silly little "Do you remembers" that fill our family gatherings are the memories that can become legacies. Take some time to put them in writing so they aren't lost. My family loves to tell stories, but so many were lost in the passage of time as the storytellers died. But even when they are written, tell them and tell them often, until they gain a forever place in the hearts of your children. You can't tell which child will be the keeper of the stories and hand them off to the next generation, so tell them to every child in your family.
For more on telling and preserving stories, visit The Call of Story created to promote a television program produced by KBYU. Links at the top of the page will lead you to ideas and inspirations for telling the family stories. Be sure to read about the story stick and the Magic Box, stories to help your children become keepers of the stories.
Breathe Life Into Your Life Story: How to Write a Story People Will Want To Read