Personally, I go back and forth between needing to get out more and wondering if we should go in public less.
But that’s not the point of this post.
I just wanted to remind you of a really cool, legitimate reason to get out and mingle with, you know, adults.
All of my grandparents have passed away. (I know it seems like I just abruptly changed subjects, but stick with me.) I have a book about their lives that was written from memories of their children– my dad and his siblings. I am amazed by their lives, but there’s one part that always makes me get a little choked up when I read about it. My grandparents had nine children and not a lot of money. I bet it was a hard living, and it must have been, because at one point my grandma had what was called at the time a “nervous breakdown.” She was temporarily institutionalized and received the modern treatments that were acceptable then, like electro-shock therapy. (Have you seen A Beautiful Mind? The thought makes me shiver.) No one knows much about what that was like for her. She returned home and resumed all her responsibilities and life went on. I knew her as a loving, talented, spunky grandmother that made great pies and good hugs. I loved her and I miss her.
And now here I am, two generations later, raising three little children of my own in the suburbs. And some days I feel like I might “lose it” too. The noise, the to-do lists, the finances, the responsibilities, the laundry, the cooking, the carpooling, the [fill in the blank with etceteras… you know what I’m talking about]. I think of her often and how much better I have it than she did, and I wish, just wish I knew more about her real feelings and what life was like for her as a young and inexperienced mother. How did she make it past those dark moments and just move forward and become so . . . majestic and wonderful?
And in part, my friends, that’s the reason I blog. I hope that by writing down my stories, my own truth, that someday my daughters or granddaughters will read it and sigh. Sigh for relief, sigh for camaraderie, sigh for hope. You know, feel a connection that gives them strength. I really believe that stories have that kind of power.
So. (Tangent complete.)
There’s this conference coming up that celebrates the power of story. Even simple stories, like the day-in-day-out details of our families and our ideas and our feelings. Like our BLOGS.
It’s called the Story @ Home Conference, co-sponsored by FamilySearch, Cherish Bound, and the Casual Blogger Community. The conference is March 9-10, 2012 at Temple Square in Salt Lake City. Two days of workshops, lectures, and entertainment, all about telling your stories, tracing and creating your family history, and all the wonderful technologies available to make it easy and fun. And the December discount package is still available! Some people I know and admire will be presenting there, so I know it will be worthwhile. Check out the website, and make yourself a date to get out of the house and learn more about telling your own story.
Diapers and Divinity 