Our Stories

As Sonlighters we use stories every day to teach our children. We have the richest literature available at our fingertips. Even more valuable than our wonderful library of books are the stories from our own life experiences and heritage. I appreciated what Judy had to say recently about the importance of remembering. I've been visiting my parents this past week... and remembering...

Many years ago, when I was a little girl, my grandparents build a home in the Ozarks. Some of their children were still at home at that time. My earliest memories date back to when the house was under construction.

Fast-forward several decades. My grandparents are gone. Now my parents live on the "old home place." Every time I turn around I remember my grandparents. I see Granddaddy's hand in the carefully crafted stone walls. I can almost hear Grandmother sweetly asking me to do a "little job" for her. I think of the influence they had on their friends and neighbors. My grandparents were simple people. They didn't have much in the way of material possessions but the heritage they passed on to their descendants has eternal value that can never be calculated.

I've taken my daughter and my nephew for several walks all over the farm this week, regaling them with stories of "when I was a little girl." Many updates and changes have been made to the place since that long-ago time, but in my mind's eye I can still see the way things used to be. I remember the games we played as we learned to use our imaginations, the chores we were expected to do as part of the family, and the nightly family devotions.