Throughout my life I remember my parents telling me stories from their childhood. Sometimes my dad and I would make up stories together, usually involving Gladys, her older brother Tommy, and his friend JoJo. But even though these fictional stories were a lot of fun they never compared to the real ones, which could be just as terrifying or funny but were always more honest. I was amazed by how many different kinds of stories my parents could lay claim to, and I remember often thinking that my childhood was so much less interesting than theirs had been. To be fair, a lot of the material that made for good stories came out of a distinct lack of parental supervision and financial means. I didn’t envy this aspect of their lives but I didn’t want to grow up without any stories either. To me, having plenty of good personal stories is a symptom of a well-lived life. Similarly, having a wide variety of stories is the product of a diverse set of experiences. My goal is that the stories that make up my life be many and varied.
My hope is that this blog can be the vault where I record my favorite personal stories and the stories I grew up hearing from my parents, along with any other things I would want to remember and share. If you remember something that I’ve forgotten (or at least haven’t written yet) remind me and I’ll type it up.
