Turning Hearts to God and Family through Telling and Writing Sacred Stories

1. Turning Hearts to God and Family through Telling and WritingSacred Stories David C. Dollahite, Ph.D. Professor of Family Life Brigham Young University Wilson Folklore Archives Founders Lecture Harold B. Lee Library November 10, 2011

2. The Spirit of Elijah Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.� (Malachi 4:5-6)

3. The Spirit of Elijah: Turning the Hearts of the Living to the Living �It is time for us to think of turning the hearts of parents to children now while living, that there might be a bond between parents and children that will last beyond death. It is a very real principle, and we should consider it.� President Boyd K. Packer

4. Hasidic Jewish Saying Give people a fact, and you enlighten their minds; tell them a story and you touch their souls.

5. In the entry on �family story and myth� in the Marriage and Family Encyclopedia, it states that family stories: �help bind the members of the family together by creating a community of memory, a chronicle of the way a particular family thinks about itself,� �enrich the perspectives family members have regarding intergenerational relationships.� Ponzetti, J. J., & Kellar-Guenther, Y. (). Family Stories and Myths. In The Marriage and Family Encyclopedia. Available online at (http://family.jrank.org/.

6. The Power of Stories Stories: are about life as it is lived have surprises, twists, heroes, action capture the essence of life keep listeners involved and interested usually are hopeful touch hearts, minds, and spirits

7. An Invitation During this talk you might think of a sacred story that you would like to share and/or record with loved ones. I Invite you to write down whatever promptings you receive and then act on them.

8. Why So Much TV and Novels? Deep hunger for stories in human beings and TV stories (even bad ones) and novels fill that gap Entertainment-saturated culture created by professionals Less telling of important stories in families Passive entertainment (watchers, listeners, & clickers) Thus, we don�t talk to each other enough in families nor tell each other thing things of our souls.

9. Turning Hearts ThroughSacred Stories Sacred stories are stories with deepest meaning These �stories of the soul� deal with values, gospel truths, and other meaningful things Include stories of important spiritual changes in your life and of your ancestors

10. Megan�s story: One of my students�I�ll call her Megan--told me that each year on her birthday her dad came to her grammar school for lunch and treated Megan and her friends to ice cream sandwiches, leading her friends in singing �Happy Birthday� to Megan. In sixth grade, her father had a heart attack a couple of days before her birthday. Her mother told Megan her dad would be okay but he would need to be in the hospital for several days. On her birthday with her dad still hospitalized, Megan didn�t want to go to school. She did go, but when lunch time came she wanted to stay in the classroom. After everyone else left, she slowly walked down the hallway to the lunchroom with her head down wishing her father were well. She came into the lunchroom, looked up, and saw her father sitting at the same table with her friends, each of whom had an ice cream sandwich. She ran over to him and said, �Daddy, what are you doing here? You�re supposed to be in the hospital.� He smiled and said, �It�s your birthday isn�t it? I wouldn�t be anywhere else in the world than here with you!� One of my students�I�ll call her Megan--told me that each year on her birthday her dad came to her grammar school for lunch and treated Megan and her friends to ice cream sandwiches, leading her friends in singing �Happy Birthday� to Megan. In sixth grade, her father had a heart attack a couple of days before her birthday. Her mother told Megan her dad would be okay but he would need to be in the hospital for several days. On her birthday with her dad still hospitalized, Megan didn�t want to go to school. She did go, but when lunch time came she wanted to stay in the classroom. After everyone else left, she slowly walked down the hallway to the lunchroom with her head down wishing her father were well. She came into the lunchroom, looked up, and saw her father sitting at the same table with her friends, each of whom had an ice cream sandwich. She ran over to him and said, �Daddy, what are you doing here? You�re supposed to be in the hospital.� He smiled and said, �It�s your birthday isn�t it? I wouldn�t be anywhere else in the world than here with you!�

11. Your Reaction to Story? Different from �ideas� I had been sharing? Perhaps paid a little more attention? Perhaps prompted feelings & thoughts? Story may have been motivating? (Dads)

12. Kinds of Family StorytellingMost Likely to Turn Hearts True stories/lived experience Stories involving family members Sacred stories of one�s faith tradition Personal sacred stories (missionary & conversion stories)