Remembering the people and stories of the past

Remembering the people and stories of yesterday

As our family engaged in routine conversation my wife said the name “Billy the Kid.” His name was included for no reason other than being included in the topic we were speaking about, historical figures. As Lilli routinely did, she was listening in on her mother and my conversation and she quickly interjected, saying, “Billy the Kid… who is that?”

My wife turned and asked the child, “You have never heard of Billy the Kid?”

“Nope” replied the child.

How about Jessie James? Again, her question was met with a resounding “nope.” With one last ditch effort to find a historic figure the child had heard of, she asked, “How about Bonnie and Clyde, have you heard of them?”

With a consistency second to none, Lilli replied that she had no idea who any of the people her mom spoke about were. As my wife and I sat, shocked and unable to find the right words, we merely looked at each other shaking our heads. By now the girls’ curiosity was getting the best of them and Riyann chimed in saying that like her sister she had no idea who we were talking about. Within a short time, the only words their mother could muster was that she couldn’t believe they hadn’t learned anything about some of the key individuals in the history of the American West while at school.

As we spoke about the history of the Old West and how many of the outlaws throughout history had traveled the Ozarks routinely, the girls seemed interested in learning more and possibly even traveling to some of the locations which have memorialized the outlaws. As my wife and I shared our favorite stories from the past with the girls I began thinking about how important it truly was for each of us to explore where we as a country have been and the people who made us who we are.

Memories of sitting on the couch beside my grandmother, learning about the logging camps deep in the mountains of Colorado, newspaper insulation, wood stoves, root soup, and how great-grandma ended the chickens she was about to prepare for dinner that night brought a smile to my face. Stories that are seemingly menial bear utmost significance to our future generations.

I remember one particular day when I was tasked with being the substitute teacher for a ninth-grade history class. As I arrived, I looked over the teachers’ notes and learned that the topic for the day was the Great Depression. My job was to instruct the students to read their chapter on the topic and that was it. I thought about how easy it would have been to enlist the help from one of the many community members, like my grandmother, who had lived through the experience. A simple 30-minute talk about what it was like living in the Great Depression would certainly been much more effective than words in a book.

Friends, may we never lose sight of how important our past truly is. With each passing day those select few who have lived through our history are rapidly leaving us, taking with them the stories of their journey. Take a moment to sit down with them and talk about their lives, their experiences, and all the cool things the “old folks” use to do. When you do, you, like I, will open the door to a world much broader than our own. In doing so, a new respect and understanding will result, and who could resist that?