January 15, 2011
I had a very moving experience today while standing in our local Catholic goods store. When I thought through my day to develop my bit of advice, it was clear to me that I needed to write about that experience so…
Today’s Bit of Advice……
“Tell Your Story Lest Others Forget You”
I went to the Catholic goods store to look for a book for my son. They have quite a few books and other written resources crowded together in the small store so I spent a bit of time searching for the book I was interested in purchasing. I didn’t find what I went there to buy but found something else very special instead.
One rack of books was labeled “Local Authors” and included books by Sr. Anne Bryan Smollin, Fr. Joseph Girzone, Fr. James Walsh, and many more. Mixed in was a small purple book with only 18 pages. It had a picture of a priest blessing a First Communicant’s rosary on the cover. Even before I saw the title of the book I knew who the priest was and knew I needed to buy the book. The title of the book was “How I Grew Up To Be A Priest – The Story of Father Jim” and the priest on the cover was Fr. Jim Cribbs.
Fr. Cribbs (or “Father Jim” as he was referred in the book) was born in 1962 in Sidney, Upstate NY in a faith-filled family of five children. His father was a mailman and his mother stayed home to raise the children. Jim played Little League, was a Cub and Boy Scout, collected stamps, marched in the band with his saxophone, loved to garden, and had a loving relationship with the Lord. In 1990, after much prayer and excitement, he was ordained a Roman Catholic priest.
One of Fr. Cribbs first assignments as a priest was at my church in Albany County. I remember how happy he was when he celebrated mass. He loved his vocation and it was much more than a job or career. Everyone who came in contact with Fr. Cribbs was caught in his enthusiasm. After a few years, the Bishop chose to move Fr. Cribbs to another parish to gain new and different experiences. I ran into him a few years later at a diner where he was having lunch with friends and he was still the same loving and happy man. I didn’t know it at the time but that would be my last conversation with him. In January 1998, I sang with our choir at his funeral. He was 36 years old.
How do I know so much about Fr. Cribbs’ life? Until today, I only knew he was from Sidney, NY and was a wonderful man who served my church for several years. The book I found at the store told me about Fr. Jim’s childhood, teenage years, and the experiences that happened to him throughout his life that brought him to become a priest. He was able to share in the book the joy that his vocation brought him. Fr. Cribbs didn’t expect to die at age 36. We are fortunate that he took the time to write about his life while he had the chance.
Tell your story lest others forget you.
I hadn’t thought about Fr. Cribbs in a few years. I regret to say that I had started to forget him. When I saw the book on the shelf at the store so many memories came flooding back to me and it was as if he was still with us.
A few years ago I become affiliated with a company called Heritage Makers, a company based in Salt Lake City that helps people to “storybook” their lives. Storybooking is the process of preserving a story and pictures together. The Heritage Makers mission is to make sure that no person’s life is ever forgotten. Their philosophy is “a story not told is a story lost”. During my time with Heritage Makers I had the opportunity to write the story of my grandmother’s family farm, my great-great grandfather’s story about his life as a professional baseball player, and the story of my parent’s 40 year marriage among others. Every heritage story I write brings me a sense of peace that another person’s legacy will be preserved. As one of my family’s genealogists, I still have many stories left to write and I hope to put as many as possible on paper. (Though in this digital age, it is more likely I will put the stories on “the word processor” – LOL)
I keep a journal that I write in every night before bed. I currently have six completed years of entries and started year seven on January 1st. I don’t know if I will have time to write my story in more detail, or produce a book like Fr. Cribbs, but I know that my daily entries will at least serve as a bit of a story.
It doesn’t matter if you think you are a good writer. You can just jot notes on paper. Save letters you or others have written. Keep a journal. Write a blog. Write about your life. Write about the lives of those you love. Every little bit counts.
Tell your story lest others forget you.
Hope you enjoyed the read.
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