Tell Me a Story

Recently Nicole has been asking both Erica and me to tell her stories from OUR childhood. She might ask to give us an age-range to talk about, an event, or someone else to talk about. When we do start telling the stories, though, she is a very good listener. She will ask questions and give her own commentary.

Sometimes when she asks a question that has a reference point it causes me to stop and reflect on the time and compare it to the current day.

One of her recent questions prompted me to remember one of my favorite television shows - Inspector Gadget. If you don’t remember, or don’t know, it was a cartoon that was on every morning when I woke up and again when I got home from school. The main character was Inspector Gadget who was always assigned to solve a mystery. His mystery-solving skills were not the greatest but he did not know this. His young niece Penny was the one who helped him solve mysteries - without him knowing.

She used a lot of gadgets to help her that seemed way “out there” at the time but as I was reflecting the other day I realized that most of them we use every day. She used a laptop computer to do most of her work on. She had a book that was a handheld computer. She had a watch that she could press a button and talk into and it would make calls for her and give her valuable information. These were far-fetched ideas at the time but as I sit here, I write this blog on my laptop which goes nearly everywhere with me. I’m wearing my smartwatch that reminds me when its time to stand and encourages me when I exercise. And, of course, I can do just about anything on my smartphone.

Nicole and Jonah drawing on their drawing tablets together.

It's crazy to think back to a marker in time, reflect on how things were, then compare them to the present. It's nice to have a little person ask you questions about the past because it causes you to think in child-like terms about what was and how it relates to what is.

Three years ago we were in the middle of a 50-day outreach in DFW.
Five years ago we were packing up our house in Minnesota to move to Texas.
Eight years ago I went on my first mission trip to Nicaragua which changed the whole direction of my life.
Fourteen years ago I was training for my first marathon.
Twenty years ago I had just started my first career job.

Through the child-like lens, its fun to think about how much more I know now than I did back then. How much I’ve changed and how much God has taught me.

I’ve always wondered why older people love to be asked questions about their past. Maybe its because the question serves as a marker for them to reflect on the same things - how far they’ve come, how much they’ve grown, how God has worked in their lives.

I wonder what Nicole and Jonah will recall when their kids ask them “stories about when they were young.” Will they remember the COVID-19 shelter in place order? Will they remember the long, fun road trips to Minnesota and Wisconsin? Will they remember all of the times they cooked with mom in the kitchen? Will they remember climbing the tree in the front yard?

Jonah climbing the tree in our front yard

Perhaps we could be intentional about creating experiences that we wish they remember when they get older. Maybe a better approach is to maintain a family culture where all things can be remembered well no matter what. Then, they can choose what they will remember without having to choose.