Embracing Our Legacy: Why Listening to Our Parents’ Stories Matters
As we approach Mother’s Day and Father’s Day here in North America, the air is filled with a bittersweet mix of celebration and remembrance. For many of us, these occasions are not just about gifts and cards but about honouring the people who shaped, guided, and loved us unconditionally. Yet, for some, like myself, these days are marked by a poignant absence — the absence of beloved parents who have passed away.
As I sit to write this, memories come flooding back — family gatherings at my grandparents’ house. Grandpa, Nana, my mom and dad, aunts, and uncles gathered around the kitchen table smoking cigarettes, drinks in hand, and laughing. Of course, we kids were not allowed in when they were in session. My younger siblings and cousins had no interest, but at 12, I was fascinated by what made the adults laugh. At home, my parents seldom cracked a smile. So what could be so entertaining? I’d creep up and kneel at the threshold of the entrance to their kitchen kingdom and listen. I listened as they told stories to one another. I didn’t understand all of them, especially the ones they leaned in to whisper, but there was no doubt in my young mind that sharing stories made adults feel good.
My parents didn’t tell my brothers and me stories at bedtime, but we did hear them — stories of the challenges they and…
