International Women's Day : Women and the oral tradition

Listen to your grandmother talk about when she came to this country and you will hear stories that are unique. Entertain your mother with questions about how she met and fell in love and you will hear tellings of love, passion and youthfulness. Take the time to spend an evening with your sister. Share with her an initimate moment in your life and soon you will be taking your place in the sea that is womanlore.

The stories that keep families together remain the most powerful and the least known of all the stories. As women we are expected even requested to keep these stories that are uniquely our families' alive for the next generation and the next after that and so on. Why are these life affirming experiences important?

Every family has a voice of its own, the way in which it interprets the world around it. The very ebb and flow of a family and its stories require a recorder, a person to keep these stories vibrant and remembered. The women in your family know this, just ask.

International Women's Day March 8th reminds us of the tradition and the power given to women in keeping our histories, our stories and sharing these with our families. Consider your family stories and celebrate