Stories

Last year 9/11 fell on a Monday... Our second MOPS meeting of the year. Mike Cope, the preacher of Highland came to speak to us (as he did every year)...but it was a bigger deal because of the date. Usually he just introduced himself, talked being a parent, welcomed us to the group etc etc... But what he said last year stuck with me, so much so that it was one of the first things I thought of this morning when I remembered what day it was.

This is my summary,recollection, interpretation of what he said:

When such unspeakable events occur (like 9/11) we ask ourselves "how could this happen?" . "What would poses a person to do such terrible things to his fellow human beings?" "Why are they angry, why do they hate?" It is hard for us to understand their (in this case the hijackers) perception of reality, their opinions about the rest of the world. We don't understand where they come from.

Mike went on to say "They heard stories about the west. Stories about what supposedly goes on here. Stories about how we think and feel. They heard stories about what their history had taught them to do with people like us." They heard these stories from their imams, their school teachers, their friends. But before ANY of these.... they heard these stories at home... from their mothers.

As mothers, we have such control in how our children view the world. We can present peace and unity, or hatred and fear.

All mothers and families tell stories to their little ones. The Good Samaritan The Boy who Cried Wolf The Ugly Duckling The Giving Tree .......

What are the stories we tell our little ones? How are we presenting the world to our children? When they close their eyes and listen for your voice - what do they hear?

And what about our own individual stories, our orignal narratives that can sometimes be colored with emotion and fear?

It is our job to keep our faith, our stories, and our traditions alive, but also to cultivate love and tolerance. To give our children a secure foundation to face the world, with a clear understanding of how they fit into the beautiful puzzle which is mankind.