Hello my friends,
Last week I was listening to a friend of mine discuss icons past and present.
We are familiar with the icons on our phones. They symbolize things like time and place, news and weather, Facebook and Zoom. She spoke of the icons of the past, like those found in churches. They were paintings that conveyed a message for those who did not have access to the printed word or were unable to read. In Latin this is known as Visio Divina. The creators of these icons were known as authors not painters because of the purpose of the paintings. It was so important to the people of the day. They could easily understand the stories of the Gospels. The same is true of modern-day icons.
We immediately understand the meaning of the icons on our phones and computers. It made me think how important storytelling is and was.
Storytelling was the way to communicate to everyone. There were no books to read in the beginning. There were stories. Stories helped people understand their history and traditions. Stories entertained and lulled children to sleep. Stories communicated understanding of nature both on the earth and in the skies.
Stories still do this especially important job. They create the pictures in our minds, our own special and very personal icons.
We all have stories. We are so fortunate to have people who share them.
Thank you for sharing yours.
Keep your stories alive,
Joyce Slater
“The world isn’t just the way it is. It is how we understand it, no? And in understanding something, we bring something to it, no? Doesn’t that make life a story?”
Life of Pi
novel by Yann Martel
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