Jane Kirkpatrick - Telling Our Stories

We were very fortunate to have Jane Kirkpatrick as a featured speaker for our October church women's guild. Jane is a Christian author of over twenty novels. Her stories are often based on the events and experiences of real people from the past. She particularly writes of strong women who showed tremendous faith, hope, and courage as they faced life's challenges. Her talk for this day was about the power of stories to heal and transform lives. Jane has a background in social work, and for 15 years she worked with families on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. Jane told us about a medicine man who asked three questions when a person came to him for healing. These questions helped him to determine the seriousness of their illness: 1) When was the last time you sang? 2) When was the last time you danced? 3) When was the last time you told your story? Jane went on to say that research verifies that telling our stories has a healing effect that can actually increase T cells in our bodies. In a recent Harvard study, asthmatic and arthritic patients were divided into two groups. One group was asked to write in a journal 20 minutes a day for three days a week. The other group was asked to spend 20 minutes a day (3 times a week) writing their to-do lists. The former group showed a significant reduction in their need for medication and the number of asthmatic attacks! As I was reading from Jane's devotional Promises of Hope for Difficult Times, she suggests that "Better than all those lists would be to pause and be taught, to note how I'm feeling this day, to tell my story and witness to how God is intersecting in my life, pulling me closer, opening my heart on days of drain. A short note will do. Lists of thing for which I'm grateful. Struggles I write down and then give to God. No need to show it to anyone else." When Jane is working on a novel she tries to keep three particular goals in mind: 1) to provide the reader with information 2) to connect with the reader 3) to provide support and encouragement for the reader. Jane's stories are engaging and uplifting. My particular favorites include A Sweetness to the Soul,The Kinship and Courage Series (All Together in One Place, No Eye Can See, and What Once We Loved), as well as Where Lilacs Still Bloom. For those who would like to learn more about Jane, please check out her website at http://www.jkbooks.com/ and sign up for her newsletter "Story Sparks". While looking at Jane's website I noticed a short essay called "Life is messy". Here it is: "Like a weaver, I look to the landscape, relationships, spirituality and work to find the threads. Historical research, interviews with descendants along with my mental health background and imagination are the loom upon which I untangle the stories of my main characters - women of history. Although they may not always have a 'met my prince' ending, my stories are always hopeful. It is my goal that the stories I weave help my readers to find peace and love and grace within. I hope that my stories inspire you to look with new eyes at your life - no matter how messy it might be."