Your Story is Important
Dr. Jess E. McCrosky, DMin, BCC
In my work with Community Hospice I have grown to appreciate stories. Sometimes stories are shared purposefully and explicitly. One man was in a nursing home bed, was unable to communicate, unable to tell his story. Normally, this means that I have little to go on to know much about the person. But in this case his family had written up a little biography and taped it to the wall. It told about his family, and about his work. He was a founder for a new business in Jacksonville in his younger years and was quite successful in his work. Having the stories gave me great insight into the person I was there to see. Other times, stories are not so explicit. I see pictures of family, of travels, of hobbies. I see items reflecting interests and faith and I am able to begin building stories on behalf of the person. Stories can be a valuable way to share who we are and to learn about others.
One time, when my daughter was in the 6th grade I found myself learning to rollerblade. (We won’t talk about how many years ago that was. Suffice it to say that my hair was more brown than gray.)
