Merry Time in the Maritimes: Silhouette or Soul?

When I think of the word story, I think of grand adventures, magical kingdoms, brave knights and maidens, courageous 'nobodies' and triumphant underdogs. There are endless possibilities and plots all with their own twists, hardships and joys. I've always loved stories. I don't remember a time I didn't enjoy flipping through the pages of a book, or hearing the tales of my mother's childhood on the farm, or the adventures of my dad's boyhood along the canals of the Netherlands. Throughout my own young youth, I was always pulling new books off the shelf, anxious to immerse myself into the the lives of others. It was on those pages that new friendships developed, adventures were had and lessons were learned. As I encountered stories,  I was privileged to view the world from other's perspectives and experiences, whether I was aware of this at the time or not. It was the stories, both written in black ink or simply spoken, that had a part in forming me, my interests, my imagination and how I interacted with people.

Story time with dad and the sibs back in '93

As I entered adulthood, my intrigue for understanding and knowing someone did not end with characters in a story. It is how I began interacting with the people around me, I longed to understand their story. Whether it be the cashier at the grocery store, the man on the bench at the mall, or an old or new friend; my curiosity in knowing their story was there. I often asked myself, who are they? what brought them here and what or who are they striving to become? It's through an individual's story that we can discover answers to such questions. It's through someone's story that we can encounter an understanding of where they've come from and why they are the way they are. It's through their story that we're able to see who they really are. I know this from experiencing it unfolding in my relationships  with other's as I've listened to theirs stories, but also from personal experience. It's through the crafting of my own story that I began to understand the depth of myself and becoming aware of what has shaped me into me. All of it - the good, the bad, the ugly. Every part of my story has value and impact within my character.

There is such great value in knowing our human story - individually as well as collectively. There is value in the crafting of the story, the sharing of the story and the listening of the story. In the crafting we may find healing and understanding for ourselves. In the sharing we may find further healing in addition to a sense of being loved and known. And in the listening, we are privileged to be considered trustworthy to become privy to the depth of another's being; as we may also understand the other further, learn from their experiences, and be inspired by their story. Without knowing or hearing our stories, we may only know as much as our silhouettes, but there is so much more to the human being than this. From which I've come to conclude: stories are a window into the human soul. Stories are not something to ignore or forget, rather they should be encouraged and embraced. They should be carefully crafted and told and retold; just as importantly, they should be listened to, again and again. Learn from each other, understand one another, inspire one another. Know your story, share your story and know the stories of others.

Know more than the Silhouette, Know the Soul
Campobello Island,  2013