You can follow up the LifeRope project with a board game called Life Stories (avail- able at
www.talicor.com). This game uses decks of cards with story prompts such as, “Describe one of your best or worst teach- ers,” or “Tell about one of your first experi- ences of living away from home.” This is a great way to pass a summer night around the campfire —and hear some great family stories to boot!
Culture, Culture
Once you have explored your birth, life and family stories, you are ready to delve more deeply into your own ethnic and religious traditions. Paradoxically, the more grounded we are in the stories of our own culture, the greater our ability to live in a multicultural world and honor the stories of traditions other than our own. For a great essay on this process, try “Claiming my Heritage” by Doug Lipman at
www.storydy-
namics.com.
Make a trip to the local library or book
store and search out some read-aloud stories from the traditions you wish to explore. Reading aloud and storytelling are close cousins. Both activities can bring us closer to one another and to our ancestors.
Do You Hear What I Hear?
Perhaps the greatest benefit of family stories lies in the simple and powerful act of listening. When we feel deeply listened to, it is possible to heal old wounds, build bridges, and re-affirm our connections to our family. True listening begins with the willingness to see the world through the eyes of another. I believe that most family problems can be compassionately addressed, if not elimi- nated entirely, by effective listening. Perhaps that is the greatest gift we can give each other in these summer weeks of vacation and family reunions.
Enjoy your stories, my friends…
A professional performer, author, and work- shop leader, Robin Moore was voted “Sto- ryteller of the Year” by Storytelling Magazine and has shared his stories with more than one million people. Author of several award winning books, Robin is best known for The Bread Sister of Sinking Creek, the first in a se- ries of historical fiction novels about women on the PA frontier. Robin serves as Program Coordinator for The Graduate Institute’s M.A. in Oral Traditions. A new session begins October 2011, visit
www.learn.edu or call (203) 874-4252 for more information. See ad on page 22.
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