2. The Stories That Bind Us

What helps a family stay strong and unified? According to The Stories That Bind Us, a New York Times article, it is sharing your family stories. While reading this, I was a bit skeptical. It talked about many benefits for youth when parents share their family stories. Some benefits listed were facing challenges better, moderating stress, higher self-esteem, feel they have a better control over their lives, and feel they belonged to something larger than themselves. I wondered how learning more about your family could possibly effect all of these things. What really interested me was how it said people are able to deal with challenges better.

I started to think about my extended family. On holidays, our grandparents would always sit us down and tell us stories about our ancestors, our parents, or about their lives growing up. When we were younger, we would silently complain about sitting and listening for so long. As we got older, I was able to see how much our relationships with each other were being strengthened. I remember last Thanksgiving we sat and listened to each of our parents share the story of how they had met each other, awkward dates, proposals, etc. I just remember how fun it was to learn more about my aunts and uncles, and all the laughs we had. I remember sitting there trying not to cry as I thought of the amazing family I had been blessed with, and how much love I realized I had for them. My family and cousins have become a huge part of my life as we support, uplift, and love each other in all we do. Over the past few years, my grandfather has been battling cancer and recently has gone through chemo therapy. There were moments when my cousins and I would sit and cry together, wondering how much time we had left as we watched him  quickly change.

As I read The Stories That Bind Us it hit me that the reason my family has been able to go through moments like this together was because of the time we spent listening and learning about our family. Those moments we share are helping to keep us strong and uplifted. I can truly testify that sharing those lessons and stories will bind our families together differently than anything else can. Families are central to God's plan, and I know that when we treat those memories and times together with appreciation, we will be able to face any challenge we are given.