Behold: The Power of Stories

I have said it often, the power of stories. I’ve learned this from indigenous writers, elders and mentors. But this is also true of my own experience and why I write here.

Stories have been integral to my survival.

I thought about that as I work my way through Sandra Marinella’s book.

She writes:

“Our lives hang on a narrative thread. Life stories, especially defining moments, give us important self-knowledge. They are critical if we want greater understanding in our search for well-being. As we mature we create our identity by selecting those experiences to map out who we are. Our world is shaped by the stories we tell ourselves—what we believe about our lives and what we hold to be true about our world” (p. 119).

She also notes:

“We are tellers of tales that can lead us to self-understanding. Our stories can perplex and confuse us, but if we are willing to find them, know them, and work with them, they can lead us to our hopes, our truth, and what holds meaning for us” (p. 119).

A-fucking-men.

Hence, this newsletter. As well as my path to surviving, that began when my mom died—what are the memoirs and narratives that I can read to better understand the path of grief that I am on now?

After Jeremie died, now what? Two suicides in my immediate family? (Three in my extended.)

I went looking for stories.

I take stories very seriously.

I am not just a student of literature, a professor literature. I don’t know how I would have survived, I don’t know if I would be here, without them.

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“Our stories have to ring true. Our personal myths cannot be woven of self-deception or delusion. They need to be constructed of the pieces that make the most sense to us. We need to discard the pieces that don’t fit. To find our unique purpose and live with meaning, we have to create a narrative that embodies our personal story—and no one else’s” (p. 127).