Our Stories Unleashed

Growing up the youngest in the family has its advantages.  

My older sisters stood up for me, even when I didn’t ask for or deserve their support. One day I got bored waiting for my mom to get off a phone call. I saw some scissors beside her and had an idea. Not much later, Mom found a trail of blond hairs all over the house and cornered me in the bathroom demanding to know who had cut my hair. I just looked at her. My sisters ran to my defense, each insisting that their friends who had played at our house that day must have cut my hair. I don’t know how long we sat in that bathroom before the truth came out.  

As we got a little older, being the youngest meant staying home when my sisters went out with friends and on dates. With a little creativity, even being the one left behind can be an advantage. After all, when the date winds down and the older sister and her date linger in the driveway far too long, someone needs to peek conspicuously out the window and flash the light by the door.  

November is National Family Stories Month. When extended families spend time together, we tend to reminisce and tell our stories. Family stories tell our history and bring us closer to one another.  

November is also National Adoption Month, a reminder of how many children and teenagers still need safe and secure families. They wait to be written into the family stories of a new family that will love and grow with them. They wait to share stories with parents and siblings who will defend them, support them and laugh with them.