Janica Ellsworth at @finding.strong Joins us today to share her story that is full of heartbreak, joy, miracles, and events that will leave your heart feeling blessed by the end. Janica shows us that it takes courage to tell your story. Married to fallen UHP Officer, she takes us on her pilgrimage from grief to finding Joy in the most unexpected places. Not all of our journeys fit into a tidy box. Sometimes life gets crazy and messy and utterly confusing. But in the end when you hear someones story, and really pay attention, magic happens. You find yourself in alignment and awe and profoundly inspired by events that become your master teachers.
Storytelling was an ancient tradition that preserved the landscape of a community or tribe. Orally passing down stories was the way generations moved forward, remembering where they came from, and adapting that information to where they were. Along the way, in our western culture, this was lost. During the great depression and afterward our parents and grandparents were part of the Silent Generation. Some of you may remember the saying that “Children are to be seen not heard.” We moved away from sharing stories full of hardship or struggle. The biggest tragedies were kept quiet, vaulted deep in our psyche. This caused us to move away from sharing the emotions, and honest experiences. Creating a false sense of who we are and how we show up in the world. We lost our ability to connect at a deeper level and left matters of the heart buried.
In order to have a life full of reciprocity, growth, and healing, sharing stories becomes a bridge to the land of connection, love, and understanding. When we journey alongside someone’s story, we feel a connection through shared emotions. We may not always understand or choose the same experience, but riding along as a passenger of another can be one of the greatest gifts we will give ourselves. Sharing stories is a soul language. We ride the rollercoaster of kinship when we engage in hearing and sharing our life. We get to see a beautiful perspective offered by another’s experience.
Stories heal, connect, and cultivate a new love language and sense of respect for those we may never have the privilege of knowing otherwise. Let’s try to become better seekers of story, and understanding of others. We never know when someone may come into our lives with the story that will change us forever!