Here is one of the other photos I took yesterday, of Marion, Rachael and Molly (from left to right). Rachael was one of my school pupils about twenty years ago, and it was lovely to meet her again and to hear news of her family and of her two sisters, Anne and Sharon. It was especially good to meet Molly and to chat with her about school and swimming and her brother, Harry.
At my commissioning service at Southport on 26 June Liz Marriott, our MWiB Communications Officer, wrote and read a beautiful reflection, which I would like to share with you all here. It resonates closely with some of my own thinking over recent years.
‘The Stories we share’
We each have a story to share, a unique and personal experience, however, no one’s story stands alone, the stories we have to tell are influenced by those we have come into contact with, our surroundings and experiences. Our stories become interwoven. Perhaps your story will meet mine and just cross in an instance, a onetime encounter, with another your story may run side by side weaving together for a period of time, in another instance your story may meet with another’s at regular intervals.
- All of this meeting, crossing and intertwining creates a rich tapestry of experience and the story of our world is woven together.
- We all know stories, traditional stories, fables, and the legends, those stories we know and love from our earliest years, and we will each have our favourites.
- Most cultures have a tradition of storytelling, passing on the history of the culture and community through the word of mouth.
- Stories can be used to illustrate a point, pass on information, just as Jesus used Parables to illustrate who we should consider our neighbour, or the nature of the Kingdom of God.
- In sharing our stories with one another we pass on traditions, learn about others in tolerance and respect and build our fellowship.
Thank you, Liz. More about stories tomorrow!
