We progress through our lives with stories running through our minds--the stories we hear, the stories we tell, and the stories we construct in our minds based on the events and circumstances of our lives.

As we develop over time, our capacity to understand narratives becomes more sophisticated and complex. We have more data to work from as we make sense of the evidence in front of us.

As we familiarize ourselves with narrative arcs, our minds attune to patterns that shape our expectations as we go about our day to day lives, flip the pages on a novel, view coverage of news events, or watch a movie.

There are the moments that affirm what we anticipated, the moments that leave us in awe, the moments that confound us, and the moments that leave us reeling as we process through the alignment (or lack of alignment) between what we predicted and reality.

...and there are the moments when it all passes in a blur without the cognitive capacity to really slow down and process what is even happening--those moments when we feel numb.

The work at Endure in Hope is an opportunity to slow down and become more aware of the threads of story woven throughout your experiences. It is about recognizing the beauty in considering your experiences alongside the bigger picture of the human experience.

As an educator and lover of books, I have been fascinated with the construction of identity and the process of becoming for decades. As a Catholic, I have deepened my understanding of how God leads and interacts with His people throughout history and within unique and individual lives.

Come alongside me and explore the narratives that have shaped your life.

Questions for Reflection

1. What are some of the narratives that have stuck with you over time? Why did they stand out to begin with? Why have they stood the rest of time?

2. Whether real or fiction, what are some of the stories that have helped you to make sense of your own life?

3. Who has helped you to understand and appreciate the beauty of narratives? In what ways would you like to go deeper? What makes you curious when it comes to story?

If you enjoyed this post, I invite you to sign up for my email list.