Change happens on that long stretch of rough road,
after cruising along, sometimes for
miles, or years at a smooth, comfortable clip. It happens after the joy resulting
from successfully weathering the last
stormy stretch. You are thinking to yourself, “Life can’t get any better than
this.” 
Change hangs
around the next approaching bend. It occurs with one
hand on the wheel, as you are leaning back and counting your blessings. You round the curve, even hold your head up,
proud to have come so far. “I have arrived. I’ve reached my destination on the
happy road of destiny,” you say.
Nothing
stays the same. The straightaway becomes a bend. The weather cools from balmy summer days to
wintery blizzards, or thundering nights. On a bigger scale, neighborhoods evolve,
people move. Everything is forever
shifting –– attitudes, feelings, and perspectives. Reform, repair, revision is inevitable.
When we are
young, we are like the salmon who swim upstream. We wanted what we want and we strain against
the currents of opposition to reach our goals.
Our willful
efforts may exhaust us, but the desire to achieve pushes us. When we were
young, we stood our ground. We did not back down.
Fighting the
forces challenging us, the effort itself changed us, like the river’s path, and
we became stronger, like the saplings in the gales.
Like past generations, today’s folks and those to come will face
transformations of an epic nature as well as the smallest changes, but all
significant. Men and women, even children will maneuver their route with its
twists and turns functioning only with the knowledge, which we have imparted
upon them.
I believe in
storytelling. As representatives of
history, we must share our experiences with those stepping up to take the wheel.
It is my dream
that we all relate our victories and our failures, too, in order that our
children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren may learn how to stand
their ground and not back down. It is my dream that we teach this next team how
to respect values and hold everyone in high regard. However, these upcoming generations need to
know what it was like for us, what happened and what it is like now.
StoryCorps.com is a tool to achieve this. Please check out the website and download
the app. Interview and record your parents’ experiences strength and hope.
These stories will be placed in the archives of the Smithsonian Institute forever. And
most importantly, in the process, I guarantee you will discover more and become
closer to your family than you could ever imagine –– which just might change your
life.
Change your
life. The Great Listen 2016 - StoryCorps.com
The Great Listen 2016
Books By Judy Howard
No comments:
Post a Comment