My son in Half Moon Bay. [Personal Photo by Laurel Everitt]It is currently Spring Break for myself and my school aged children. The other day, we decided to take a day trip to Half Moon Bay, CA to visit the beach. My mom came along too. My family has a long history in relation to Half Moon Bay. My paternal grandparents have a house in the area that we would periodically visit throughout my childhood. I have so many vivid memories from this area, the beach, the pier, and the house. When we come back to Half Moon Bay it’s filled with revisiting old restaurants and bakeries, doing the things we always have done when we visit, and talking about the stories that took place here (during my time and even before me). I feel a little closer to the family members that are no longer here, and it is little like stepping back in time. Most of the stories we remember when we visit Half Moon Bay are happy and usually make us laugh. By bringing my children to this place that has been a part of my personal story, I get to share it with them too along with building new stories and memories.
My daughter making a sand angel. [Personal Photo by Laurel Everitt]Stories connect us all, because at core we all have the same wants, needs, sorrows, and happiness. In the Module 10: The Power of Stories Lecture, Dr. Michael Stephens asks us to close our eyes and remember ourself as a child in the summer and envision what that looked like (Stephens, n.d.). Everyone has this kind of experience – we all were children once, we all lived during a summer as one—there will be many similarities, but everyone has their own individual plot line. The similarities are what make connections between people. I think it is why I want my own children to get to experience some of the same things I did when I was their age—that connection.
One thought on “Reflection Blogging: The Power of Stories”
@laurele this is a wonderful story about your connections to Half Moon Bay. I did that exercise yesterday with the library staff in Illinois and was very interesting when we debriefed: Most of the people said they imagine themselves outside or in nature. Most that shared said they were alone as well. Interesting.
@laurele this is a wonderful story about your connections to Half Moon Bay. I did that exercise yesterday with the library staff in Illinois and was very interesting when we debriefed: Most of the people said they imagine themselves outside or in nature. Most that shared said they were alone as well. Interesting.