Friday, April 27, 2012

Tell a Story Day

family story timeToday is Tell a Story Day.  What a great idea!  I was listening to a friend speak the other night and she shared my own heart when she spoke about meeting God in stories.  That is exactly how I feel.  I have often said that we get facts from non-fiction and Truth from fiction.  The difference between the two is the Truth is applied across the board and is immutable—like God.  Facts…  Well, they’re just facts, limited to circumstances and variables and not always relevant.

It is this belief that makes my loyalty to Sonlight homeschool curriculum so effortless.  Their supplies consist largely of story books.  We learn about history and its facts, but because we learn through stories, we also learn truths that span the breadth of time, space and even culture.  We become friends with servants in Pharaoh's palace, celebrate freedom with Martin Luther and grieve with the boy orphaned by the Black Plague.  We nervously anticipate the outcome of intrigue and strain to catch every clue.  Our understanding is further-reaching because of the individuals we meet—even if they never actually lived.

MP900439449Some of the best stories to tell are from our own lives.  We are reading a book with our young marrieds group that encourages couples to tell and retell the story of their marriage to one another and to their children.  I have always told my kids their birth stories at least on their birthdays, but haven’t been as purposeful about telling about the birth of this family—how Brian and I met, fell in love and forged our lives as one.  To further drive the point home—because that is just how God is—we just watched the movie “We Bought a Zoo.”  There is a family-friendly language option on the disk, and I highly recommend the movie.  This movie includes the story of the family, as well.  As we tell these stories of our personal histories, we are strengthened.  Hearing the stories solidifies a foundation in the minds of all the family members.  It tells us that we have a past, we chose to be together, we have survived hardships, there has been great joy and we will make it through whatever comes next.

There is an old country song with a guy reassuring his girl that they will make it because he comes from “A Long Line of Love.”  He tells her his parents and grands are all still married and this new couple will carry forth the legacy of love.  Oh, how I want that to be in my forward-reaching family!  I think telling the stories will help my kids choose love.

Stories are life. And I am so thankful I get to share stories from the past and present with my kids throughout the week.  Happy story telling!

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