Narrative Compasses

It’s been a long time since I’ve blogged. Grad school and three kids will do that to you! But I have words in my heart, and writing helps me process.

A few weeks ago, author Betsy Hearne visited one of my grad school classes. She spent three hours with nine of us, discussing the idea of “narrative compasses”, or stories that resonate, guide, and ultimately shape who we are as human beings. She is well into her seventies, and the past thirty+ years of her life she has spent researching all of the tellings of Beauty and the Beast, as well as other special stories in her life, including her own family stories passed down generationally (her book is definitely on my wishlist!).

The following weeks, we have discussed which stories, or motifs within stories, have become our personal narrative compasses. What a task! Since I love to read and I love stories of all kinds, I have sifted through the many hundreds of stories that have been introduced in my life. Which ones stuck? Which ones shaped me? Which ones resonated with my soul?

When I think back to the books I read over and over (and still read occasionally), I go back to Ramona Quimby and her feisty “little sister” ways. I think of Laura Ingalls and her memoirs of a life lived learning, writing, and teaching. I remember Anne Shirley, in Anne of Green Gables, and her imagination, her persistence in being a female college student amongst men, and her career handling a classroom full of ornery teenagers. Most of all I remember her “Anne with an E”, in which I took great pride (Emily Anne). There’s a reason I am re-reading the Harry Potter series for the umpteenth time:  I fell in love with Hermione and the way she used knowledge to solve problems and save her friends. I loved Christy and her teaching and loving kids far from “civilization”. I can still quote the original Madeline storybook- that girl was fierce! A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Pippi Longstocking, Sara in A Little Princess, the Mandie series, Nancy Drew, Jo in Little Women… the list goes on.

I wasn’t a “Disney Princess” girl. To be honest, the princess movies I have seen (not all of them) I have only watched once. I haven’t seen Frozen and have no intention of watching it unless Rowan wants to. Lion King was more my speed when I was little. I have no interest in going to Disney World, and I definitely don’t get excited about princesses. But Belle? I watched her and loved her- less for the love story and more for the library and her insistence on reading and learning.

And my favorite TV shows? Boy Meets World. Topanga’s strangeness, her dedication, her strength, and her knowledge shaped me. Gilmore Girls. Rory’s reading habits and her ambition were so special, not to mention her wit. All of the movies or TV shows from the above books.

Seven of the nine of us in my class are Christians, and our professor is Israeli who grew up Jewish. We were encouraged to search through Bible stories that resonated with us and guided us. My favorite story of them all is that of Esther. So many girls I know loved the romance of Boaz and Ruth. That story was nice and beautiful in its own way, but Esther? She was the one I loved.  Her courage to use her platform to shape the world was my favorite. “For such a time as this”…

While I can’t think of one single story that stands above the others, I see a running motif. All of these girls are strong, snarky, independent, ambitious, and most of them are teachers or writers- all of the things I love about myself. All of the things I desire to teach my girl.

I got to see Beauty and the Beast last night, and it was truly magical. It was a beautiful telling of the story. My eyes filled with tears when she got to see the Beast’s library. It was further enhanced by the fact that Emma Watson played Belle. She was the perfect actress for the part. I love her in cinema, and I love her in reality. She isn’t a brainless beauty, but she is a strong, smart woman who uses her platform to empower others- like Esther, like all of the teachers in my narrative compasses, like Belle.

I loved hearing about which stories shaped my sweet friends in my class, and I would love to hear which stories shaped you. They don’t have to be books! They can be comics or tv shows or movies or family history stories. Whatever stories resonate with you heart and soul shaped you in some ways. What are your narrative compasses?