And THESE ARE THEIR STORIES

If you know me fairly well, you are aware of my obsession with Law & Order: SVU.  I may or may not have watched seasons 1-12 at least 4 times through...and loved it just the same every time. One of my favorite lines in the opener that plays before every episode is the line that says, "AND THESE ARE THEIR STORIES.." (dun dun!) - You'll get that reference, if you've seen the show.






I love a good story...especially when it's someone else telling me their story.  I genuinely feel both honored that someone would trust me with their story, and also protective. I feel as though that person has trusted me with something so personal, and REAL- a moment(s) in life that marked them forever. Kind of like...a Tattoo (I'll get to this in a moment).










We're not all THAT different...




For the last few years, I've been "toying" with this idea of writing others 'stories. The past few years have been me deciding to do this, and then deciding that "maybe it's not the right time." Then I get the courage to do it, thinking it's a good idea, but of course, its' quickly followed by: "This is so dumb. Someone has already done this. Why would anyone trust me with their deepest secrets?"


The overwhelming thought that usually silences my idiotic thoughts is that: we aren't all that different. I know we think we are. We really do.  W all love the idea of being an individual and "doing our own thing."  And whilst I believe God created us all as individuals, unique and wonderfully made, that is not what I'm referring to.






At the very core of our humanity; need I say, existence is an innate desire to be loved, forgiven, and accepted.  Maybe I'm being a bit presumptuous to place such a large "blanket statement" over all of humanity, but I think I'm right. 














 T.A.T.S (These are their Stories)


Let's look at the idea of a tattoo. Unless you decide to go the route of very painfully removing a tattoo, it becomes a permanent reminder of a moment in your life. No matter how passionate one may get about their tattoo defining who they are as a person, it doesn't - and neither does a moment in your life define you as a person. I do however believe that our experiences (stories) can help build us or tear us down. We choose. Bottom line, our stories don't define us, but they do matter. A lot.


More beautifully, our stories can unite us. 






It's easy to judge a person by what you THINK you know about them at face value. But the reality is that they too have experiences - both good and bad. There is a reason why we act the way that we do. Before you start throwing your judgment pointers my way, I'm not condoning terrible behavior or a lack of valuing others! But it may explain why people act certain ways. We've all heard the phrase, "hurting people hurt people." I can't tell you how many times, HANGER (hunger and anger happening at the same time...it's real, don't laugh) has set in, and I turn into a lesser awesome version of myself. Funny, but also very true.





The Moment it HIT me like a ton of bricks...


When I first threw out the "idea" of writing others' stories on social media (something I would have never done if I didn't feel prompted in my heart to do so...), I was overwhelmingly surprised with the response of people (only about a dozen or so...but still more than I thought I would have respond) wanting to share their stories with me...and ultimately - everyone else. Most of the responses were something along the lines of..."I've never shared my story. But I think it's time, and I think I should start with you."




WOW.






To which, I reply: "are you ok with me sharing it with everyone?"




And of course, their reply is something like: "Yes. It's time."




WOW. That's really all I can say, because I'm convinced this whole thing is going to wreck me for good. And whilst it is in no way about "me," I know in the end, it will change me.  It's kind of impossible to hear the experiences of others, and not be changed.









What is THIS?




So that is what this is. I'm ultimately hoping that I'm just the FIRST stop on many peoples' journey to telling their stories. I hope after sharing it with me, that they can tell their stories without shame, guilt, and full of confidence that their lives can make a huge impact on this earth. Like I'm the first stop on their world tour. I also hope that you'll be inspired to reach out more to others, in spite of your own insecurities or assumptions about the person on the other side of the subway car.




Who knows what could happen?!






And These Are Their Stories....stay tuned.