Story Telling

“Either you run the day, or the day runs you.”

~ Jim Rohn

I love a good story.

A good story challenges the boundaries of my imagination and opens my eyes to all sorts of opportunities and possibilities.

A really good story can tug at your heartstrings, make you smile or bring a tear to your eye.

A well told story can lift you up and calm you down.

I think of myself as a good story teller.

Truth be told, if I could ever figure out a way to become a professional story teller, like a Will Rogers, Burl Ives or Garrison Keillor, I would be in my glory.

When I was in High School, our head football coach and my driver's ed teacher Mr. DeGasparis was forever telling stories. I remember the first day of driver's ed when he introduced himself in his unmistakable gravely voice he said "You may have heard that I tel a lot of stories.....wel let me tell you a little story about my little stories!"

He couldn't help himself. Like myself , he found this to be the best way to communicate with people and to deliver a message.

Last night, I was asked to help lead a Seder at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Hillsdale NJ. It was very last minute and I certainly had no time to prepare for this.

Once we started , I looked out over what seemed to be a never ending table,all eyes staring at me waiting for my words of wisdom to inspire them, teach them and help them understand the meaning and importance of the Seder.

The Seder itself, the Hagah is a story, a very old story.

It was a great place to start and by adding my own collections of life stories we had a marvelous evening. Nothing short of a smashing success.

My story telling skills were at their peak.

3 hours after we started, as the assembled group was finishing their dinner, my brother stepped in to finish the second half of the Seder and I was able to bid a fond farewell to my 2 dozen new friends. I said my goodbyes and waved good night to everyone andas I headed for the door, I realized that I was smiling like an idiot.

All because I had the opportunity to touch someone by telling some stories.

Maybe that's why I like writing to you so much?