Tell Me A Story

“Please tell me a story!” I would request at bedtime at my grandparents’ house.  My grandmother is a great storyteller and there are so many of her stories that have stuck with me. Who needs Dr. Seuss or fairytales when you have a real life person who can share their story?! She always started each of her stories with "Once upon a time..." because that gets everyone's attention. Sometimes, I find myself mimicking that introduction. It was this nighttime ritual with my grandmother that instilled in me a love for people’s stories. 

Being a little too old for bedtime stories, I had to improvise with books. I love to read...all kinds of things, but I find myself drawn to autobiographies. I find it fascinating what people decide to share; how they view themselves, what milestones and parts of history they found formative, and how they perceived the people around them. I always find myself questioning the stories that are left untold in the autobiographies. That’s the great thing about autobiographies; authors have the outlet and opportunity to find their voice while taking ownership by narrating their stories.

Stories are a powerful thing as they have the ability connect the past and present to the future. By sharing our stories and listening to others’ stories we are able to see beyond our ourselves and our own experiences. It is by the sharing and listening (or reading) that we realize that we are not alone in how we think and feel, it allows us to grow in compassion and understanding, and it can illustrate human resiliency to name a few benefits. So when creating the Before December 2017 list, it seemed like a no brainer to write down the task of reading 3 autobiographies a year (and meet the authors if they are still alive). So here are some thoughts on the stories from Neil Patrick Harris, Elie Wiesel, and Hillary Clinton I read about:

Hillary Clinton - Living History

No matter what you think about her politically, I found her story to be an incredible read. I read this autobiography for one of my favorite classes in seminary: Wesleyan Spiritual Autobiography. It was ALL about the importance of sharing our stories and reading stories of others - all with a Wesleyan twist. In her first autobiography she set out to tell her story of living in the White House as the First Lady of the United States for eight years. While focusing on her life in the White House was her intention, Clinton quickly realized that she would not be able to explain her life as the First Lady without going back to the beginning – of how she became the woman she was the first day she walked into the White House. Clinton identifies her family upbringing, education, religious faith, and all that she had learned and experienced as being critical to shaping her into the person she was when she became the First Lady.

How true is that? We often hear how people who have “made it” are self-made and rarely give credit to their childhood, family and friends, education, and other experiences to being formative to the person they are today. It was refreshing to read Clinton’s perspective of how her past has been influential to her current actions and thoughts. I also had the opportunity to “meet” Hillary at the United Methodist Women’s Assembly in Louisville, Kentucky this spring. We even have a picture together, she doesn’t know about it, but that’s okay. Another thing to cross off the list...again best feeling in the world.

Elie Wiesel - Night

One of the most disturbing yet page turning stories I have ever read. The roller coaster and evolution of Wiesel’s faith journey continues to stay with me. At the beginning of his story, he shares how his faith was steadfast and absolute in an omnipotent God. However, it is his time spent in the Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps that exposes the hatred, evil, and cruelty that exists in the world and God must be either malicious or not exist at all. Initially, I understood Wiesel to lose all faith, but reflecting back, I realized that his experience forced him to question the nature of good and evil and whether God exists. Which if I am honest, is something that I question more often than I would like to admit and obviously my life experience of tragedy pales in comparison. I do not believe that the struggle and questioning diminished his belief in God, but instead was essential in his continued engagement with God throughout his time of being in concentration camps and beyond as he worked to find a “new normal” in life post liberation. The idea that we become closer to God through questions was a great reminder and encouragement in my own faith.

Neil Patrick Harris - Choose Your Own Autobiography

Always the person to change things up, I decided to read Harris’ story to round out the year. Plus dang, I just needed the break and wanted to laugh. I listened to Neil Patrick Harris’ story by the man, the myth, the legend himself via audiobook on my drive back and forth to school. He brought humor and charm to his story as he shared his rise to fame as a child actor, his struggle with finding his voice and being comfortable with who he is, and how he goes about being in the limelight with his partner and two young children. His love for magic came out as he shared magician secrets and behind the scenes of Doogie Howser, some of his movies, How I Met Your Mother, and being a multi-time award show host. It was his courage about being true to himself and living a life of integrity even in the midst of resistance that continues to inspire me.

What stories have stuck with you? Whether it be bedtime stories that you remember, or listening to a friend or stranger’s tale that you can’t seem to forget, or stories we find in books that have taught you unexpected lesson. Maybe the more important question to pose is what would you share in your story? Every story is important, including our own, and acts as a bridge to connect us with others.