Every Life Tells a Story

I've always loved a good story. If someone has a good story to tell me then I 'm all ears. I love to find out a little about the back ground of someone; where they grew up, what kind of family they grew up in. knowing the kind of life someone lived, helps me to understand that person better. It helps me to understand why they might think or feel or talk or act a certain way. It gives me a new perspective of that person.

Yet not only do I love to hear peoples stories, but for a long time now I have had a desire to write down peoples stories. There are so many people who may seem to have lived such an ordinary life, but if you sit and listen to their stories then you will find that their life isn't as ordinary as one may think. The truth is, I really can't say that anyone's life is completely ordinary, because God created every life and every life is a miracle and every life is unique with each person having their very own unique story to tell.

So today I would like to dedicate this post to an older woman I used to visit when I was a little girl, but who passed away about five years ago. her name is Pearl Young and her name describes her well. She was young at heart and truly a pearl of great price. She is the one who has inspired me to write down people's life stories, not because she did that herself or told me I should, but simply because of the stories she told of her own life.

She lived in a small house a short walk through the woods from my family. Her husband had passed away many years ago, so she lived alone. My family and I would occasionally bake bread or pick blackberries to bring her, but we always knew that if we were going to stop in to say hi, that we would be staying for much longer. She always welcomed us into her home warmly and begged us to sit a while and talk.

I always loved visiting her home. Her walls were covered in photos that were filled with stories. It seems that everything in her house could tell a story, from the quilted blankets and pillows on her couch to the dolls that sat in a corner from many long years ago. We could ask her about anything and she could tell us a story behind it. I loved listening to her stories; stories of her growing up days with 16 or so siblings, stories of her only daughter, or of her husband both of whom had passed on before her. So many stories, so much life and history. When I sat and listened to her, I knew that her life story should live on even when her soul had gone on to Glory Land. I wanted others to know of her amazing life, yet very few would know of her life unless I was the one to spread her story. I regret to say that I did not write down all the stories she told, but here is my tribute to her. Although I was young at the time and don't remember many of the stories she told, I will never forget her. Although she has gone home to a better place, I remember her even now several years later. I remember her loving warm welcome, her happy smile, and her cheerful talk. She wasn't one to complain. She worked hard throughout her life, even up to her late years she did what she could to care for and work in her yard to keep it up. She suffered much in her life time, yet she didn't speak of her suffering in a complaining way, but simply shared her life with us. She didn't sugar-coat her life, but shared it how it really was. Yes, her life was pain-filled and hard, but she fought on and persevered to the end. She finished with a smile on her face and peace in her heart, because she knew she was living for so much more than the fleeting days of this life.

Many may never know her, but I will never forget her. This post is dedicated to Pearl Young and I hope that you may have gotten a small peek into her life even though you have never met her. Pearl Young, may your life story go on  forever. I love and miss you!