As I sit here and write today, I can’t help but wonder whose story is waiting or needing to be heard today. The truth is, all of our stories need to be heard, some more urgently than others. Some stories get pushed back in a closet, buried deep within the very ground we walk on, or even broken into a million little pieces. Some stories are too hard to speak, let alone hear… but it is those stories that need to be heard the most. Those stories tell us that we are NOT ALONE in our struggles or our joys in life. Sometimes even the happiest of stories get buried away, for reasons that are only known to the person holding those memories. And sometimes, happy stories are also entangled with sad or hurtful memories, which is why these stories are not always told. However, it is within these stories that we can learn to remember the good memories, while entrusting others with the not so great parts of the story. As I have said before, and will continue to say many times over, we are not meant to be picture perfect! NOBODY is picture perfect, and we all have some type/sort of dysfunction in our lives. So while today’s post may be shorter than my usual, I am going to leave you with a passage from another incredible book.

“If we address stories as archaeological sites, and dust through their layers with meticulous care, we find at some level there is always a doorway. A dividing point between here and there, us and them, mundane and magical. It is at the moments when the doors open, when things flow between the worlds, that stories happen.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January By: Alex E. Harrow

When you read this passage, and truly think of stories as a dig site and something that requires careful dusting away of the layers, it makes sense to give a story the same kind of care and compassion. When an archaeological site is found, it is such an exciting find, but with that find comes stories. The people, animals, or textiles may not be able to physically voice the stories that need to be told, but there are many other ways to listen and see the stories laid out in front of you. The key is to open your ears and eyes, and just be open to hearing the story being told, whether through artifacts or words, it is all worth listening!

Next week, the passage that will be shared is also from the same book. I will make many references to this book as the next series will be about doors, which is a great Segway from the 3 part series of Stories. Stories, doors, and passageways are all interconnected in more ways than one.

With love and hope,

Sarah Crocker