empty chairs

The Preacher and I first experienced the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee, in October of 1995. Our son was 6 months old when we first attended.

We sat in hard plastic chairs under big circus-type tents. For three days we were held spellbound listening to storytellers telling Jack tales, folk-lore, personal stories of their families, stories of mythological creatures that hide under bridges in dark forests.

We were hooked. The Preacher and I decided we would not miss one year ever again.

We went home and began to spread the word – "There's this storytelling festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee, you have to come with us!" We told our friends and we told our families. We told any one who would listen. We invited them all to come and sit with us under the tents and listen.

Eventually they did! Each year during the first weekend of October, we had friends or family members joining us on a three day adventure. We loved seeing their excitement upon discovering this storytelling thing.

This year we traveled to the small town of Jonesborough to experience it again. On the first day I was sitting in one of the same hard plastic chairs that I had sat upon 23 years ago and I looked around. The hour of storytelling had not yet begun. People were still arriving, slowly moving about trying to find the perfect seat. My row of seats were still empty. In my mind's eye I could see everyone who had shared this festival with us. I saw them, as if they were sitting right there with me. It was a bittersweet moment. I began to miss them all:

Hank & Alice Smith, Lula Mae Kuhn, Grandma Joan Smith, Brenda Beiter, Aimee Beiter, Michelle & Greg Bontrager, Michelle & J.D. Richards, Jennifer & David Ward, Samuel Smith, J.Keith, Jennifer & Jonah Smith, Tim Johnson

Some of these friends and family members have gone on to be with the Lord, some have moved away and we haven't seen them in a long time, some are in situations where it just isn't possible to join us.

This year we had the joy of introducing the festival to our dear friend, Bill Glover, and we were delighted to find out that the Preacher's preaching buddy, Tim Johnson, would be joining us again. 

We still tell people about the festival. We believe everyone should experience it at least once in their lifetime.

This has become more than just a festival to us. It has become a reunion. A reunion of friends, family, stories and memories.

I would like to close this post with a video of Kathryn Windham at the age of 92, closing out the 2010 Festival. Kathryn passed away in June of 2011. It's a little long, 15 minutes, but if you have time, please listen.