The Curative Forces of Stories
As they began to dig into their family’s history, the family discovered that sharing in the telling of the story associated with the photograph cured some of the hurtful and festering lines that had developed between some members of the family for years. Indeed, it was small misunderstandings and unresolved tensions that had cracked the family apart to begin with; now an agenda unifying the family brought them all together on the same journey to uncover their great-grandfather’s secret.
With relatives sharing personal stories and experiences, family reunions became significant. Here, people came to express their feelings and opinions safely through storytelling. Mysterious and confusing photographs became an avenue for emotional connection and reunion.
This experience also made the family develop an appreciation of their story. They realized that each person’s story was a piece in a much broader tapestry, and by learning the past, they could navigate themselves better in the present as well as in the future.
