I truly believe that there is power in sharing stories.  We sometimes call them testimonies. In the power of sharing a story we not only become a supportive shoulder to others, we sometimes heal ourselves.

My oldest son, Jason, (he’s on the left) moved in late April of 2010 to start a new life in Florida. Up until this move, we had a wonderful relationship and were quite close. We would often have coffee together during our work week or the weekend and he would spend much time sharing his thoughts, hopes and dreams with me. But on that difficult day, when he flew out of LAX, this very together Mom, was inconsolable. It wasn’t until a few days later that I thought to use, oddly enough, this lovely tool called Storybird, that I was finally able to be at peace with this challenging, new separation from my son. Just taking the time to put my thoughts on “paper” in storybook form, helped me to release the sadness I had felt at knowing how much I was going to miss, Jason.

Take a read…

Not a day goes by that I don’t wish Jason were back in California, sharing coffee and his life with me and his family. But I have found through sharing my personal story, that I’m not the only Mom in the world who has felt this same loss.  I also know that someday soon…he will return.

As an educator, how much stronger could you support others, your student’s or a colleague, to be, by sharing a story. In turn…how much deeper would this sharing allow you to go in your passion as an educator…as a person.

Goal: What would it take for you to be willing to share a story and encourage another fellow human being? How would you do it? Would it help you to heal too? Share it with a colleague.

Quote: “I actually think one of my strengths is my storytelling.” ~Quentin Tarantino

Challenge: 1) Join The Teacher Mentoring Project on The EduPLN. 2) Support new teachers at Edutopia.org by responding to their questions and concerns. 3)  Make a commitment to share a personal story that could help and support another, fellow human being.

Did you reflect on this goal? Please leave a comment that you accomplished this goal by either posting your own video reflection on YouTube, using the hashtag #30Goals, posting on the 30 Goals Facebook group, adding a post to the 43 Things web/mobile app, or adding a comment below! Feel free to subscribe to The 30 Goals podcast!

Keep an eye out for the book, The 30 Goals Challenge for Educators, that will be published by Eye on Education in the Fall of 2011!

Thanks for joining me on The 30 Goals Challenge Journey…