Member-only story
Why does my story matter?
I don’t know if it does. People say it does. People say a lot of things, though. I respect their opinion and consider it. But, in the end, we all have our stories. How does mine do anything different than anyone else’s?
I have a few ideas I’d like to share. It was about 10 years ago that I read a memoir by a Kate Braestrup, Here if you Need Me. I just have heard about it on NPR on a drive to the ballet to pick up a daughter. I rarely had time to listen to the radio, with 4 kids and 2 more that I nannied. And…I hadn’t read a book for myself for years that wasn’t about raising children, working on my marriage, caring for animals in my barn, homeschooling, nutrition, or Eastern medicine and homeopathy. It was an incredibly difficult to find two minutes to read something that really fed me, let alone entertained me.
I felt so connected to her as she told her story. The wilderness of Maine was so intriguing and mysterious. Working with men, conservation officers in particular, was incredibly exciting. (I had 6 brothers, so that kind of man makes sense to me) Her adventures of deep pain, heartache, and the love that she carried with her all along were powerful.
As I lay down the book, I felt so changed. I knew there was something in there that I was meant to embody. I had no idea what that would look like, let alone the trajectory that would put me on…
