Stories Are Heart Work

Last week I missed writing my blog because I was on a retreat, “The Soul of Aging,” where I had no Wi-Fi.  The week was restful and fruitful.  Twelve of us had the opportunity to get to know one another, sharing the stories of our lives, as we worked on our assignments. 

One discussion sparked a memory of the quote “We are all just walking each other home.”  I recalled a childhood friend Kathleen who lived a few doors away from me.  Sometimes when we had played at her house until dark, she would walk me home.  Then I would walk her back home.  Then she would walk me back home.  At some point, we would stand halfway between the two houses and each of us would run home.  What a curious thing to do!  Perhaps we prolonged parting because we enjoyed our playtime and didn’t want to give it up. 

That memory sparked other memories.  Kathleen was a year older than I.  I was the beneficiary of some of her hand me downs.   She taught me how to sew doll clothes.  One Christmas our family went to spend Christmas with my grandmother. I stayed on for a week after the family returned home.  My grandmother, having had all her friends gather their fabric scraps, gave me a box full of lovely material.  Bestowed with this great treasure,  I spent the week making doll clothes.

The stories we tell are a way we build bridges, make connections, reinforce our common humanity.  As author Philip Pullman once wrote, “After nourishment, shelter, and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.”

May we be bearers of hope, the “wait staff” of Hope’s Café for each other and all those we encounter.  Shalom, Kate 

Hope’s Café Bonus:  “Stories are the common currency of humanity.”— Tahir Shah