Thanks to everyone who joined us last Thursday. I hope you had as much fun as I did. It came at the end of a rough week for me and it was just what I needed. The theme was “What was I thinking??” and I was happy to find that I’m not the only one who is constantly saying that to myself.
Colleen started us off with the story of her mother’s final days. I know it was familiar to anyone who has lost a parent. Each scene had me nodding my head as I thought, “Yes, it’s just like that.” The guilt you have leaving them each day not knowing if they’ll be there when you return. Trying to communicate with them when you’re not sure they understand you. The phone call you get when you don’t have to pick it up to know what it means. Thank you, Colleen, for trusting us with that story.
Yael’s story about learning to become a storyteller had a twist in it that I didn’t see coming. Her story was about how she learned to become the characters in her stories and ended up meeting the woman who inspired her. It turned out that the woman who inspired her was Ingrid Nixon, an amazing teller who has told at FGS. Now I have to talk Ingrid into tuning in from Alaska so she and Yael can share the stage with us next year.
Silvana told a story I’m still laughing about three days later. I don’t want to repeat the story here but if you run a Christian children’s camp, you should really hire Silvana and her husband to work there. You’ll find out what the Bible would have been like it if was written by George Lucas and Dr. Who. Why didn’t I ever get invited to camps like this??
Cara told a story about almost being swept out to sea because her grandma once got angry that she complained about ants as a kid. How do those things connect? Well, you shoulda been at the show. It all made sense when she told it. Cara’s first story with us was wonderful and I hope she comes back and tells with us again.
Melissa, who doubles as my assistant during the shows, told a fantastic story about lying to her daughters about Santa Claus. I love stories about the uncomfortable choices we have to make as parents. Melissa’s story reminded me that there’s no one way to raise a kid and we’re all doing the best with what we got.
Chris closed the show with a quintessential Chris story. If you’ve spent much time with her you’ll realize that she’s basically at the beck and call of her avian overlords. None of her pets live inside, of course. The hummingbirds demand that their sugar water be the proper sweetness. The chickadees tap their beaks to let her know the seed level is a little low. And the crows outside her front door buzz past her like evil spirits in a drive-thru when she forgets to feed them that day. Whenever I think of Chris now I’m going to picture her running a wild bird buffet.
I think the recording turned out ok so let me know if you told a story that night and want the audio. Some of you already have and I’ll be working on getting those to you this week. Our next show is January 21. The theme is “Who has your back??”
I’ll get the invite out as soon as I can.
Have a great holiday and rest of the year. Thank you all for supporting FGS through the worst year ever. Sometimes hearing one story is all it takes to help someone get through a hard time. I’m grateful for every single person who has shared a story with us.
See you next month 🙂
Paul
freshgroundstories@gmail.com