Bonded Stories

As we grow, we tend to remember the stories we heard growing up. These

stories may just save your life.
Anna Reynoso is my grandmother who is sweet, caring and has taught me my morals. She grew up in
a small country and had to find her way in America. She loves her fashion and music. She enjoys
spending time with family.
Anna grew up in a small town in El Salvador, where everyone knew each other. Everybody in her town
was Catholic which played a big role not only in her childhood, but growing up to be the woman she
is, her home was nearby a church and park that everybody went to. The day she was not in school or
even after school she would help her grandma at a store she owned.

Her mother was a seamstress and would make pants out

of Denim. And in those times zippers weren‘t a thing so
she would have to help her mother sew on buttons to
hundreds of pants. When she came to America she had
had to learn how to live a new life. She was able to learn
English and go to college.
The world can better from our grandparents or elders by
listening to their stories because we learn from them, in
which we can teach future generations.
Elders are important because they pass down wisdom to
teach by example while bonding while the younger
generation.

Shared time can be a positive way to gain

wisdom
Paul J. Zak is a blogger, Author of How Stories Change the
Brain, he discusses how stories can bring us together.
When you’re able to spend time with someone who’s lived
their life you can really learn something from them.
He goes on to say, “by knowing someone’s story—where
they came from, what they do, and who you might know in
common—relationships with strangers are formed (Zak
20).” This is a prime example of how getting to know
someone’s stories can teach you more about yourself and
the world.
This adds to the fact that when you listen to their stories
you can gain advice that might not seem helpful now, but
you might need it later.
A great piece of advice my grandmother gave me was to never be embarrassed of my roots. This is
something that I always heard growing up but never related to until I moved to a city where there
aren't many people like me. I felt like I needed to fit in, but then I remembered that I needed to be
proud of my Latino roots.

They educate by their life stories and struggles

In the novel Two Old Women by Velama Wallis, it tells of

an Alaskan story of a tribe that had to leave behind these
two older women Chi’dzigyaak and Sa’. These ladies had to
recall their youthful skills by telling stories of their prime
ages. With these stories they were able to remember how
to set traps, make shelter and many more skills. This
became very useful as it helped them survive the winter.
Sa’s faithful personality is what kept them from giving up,
as she stated “if we are going to die anyways, let us die
trying! (Wallis 27).” This shows that even through her
struggles, she is willing to go on.
Anna told me a story of the hardest lesson she had to face,
being diagnosed with breast cancer two times. She said
going through this felt like a punishment from God, she
asked him why her, she felt as if in that moment things
were hopeless. But now she sees it as strength, she says if
she can go through two rounds of cancer and chemo then
she can make it through anything.
This wasn’t just a story but a message. That if you can push your physical limits, you can mentally face
anything. This message my grandmother told me educated me to always stay faithful in hard times
because the moment you mentally throw in the towel you physically give up.

They help each other understand the world

Martinez-Carter explains this perfectly when she talks about Latin culture and how the majority of the
time many generations live under the same home. This plays a big role in generational systems. The
oldest will always help raise the youngest. While those in their prime will be the ones to bring home the
money.
The fact is we need both generations around, the past generation shows the youth how to start their
lives on the right path. While the youth bring care and modern knowledge. The way we connect with
the past is what we will teach the future.
Anna has always been very family oriented, through generations, she continues to show the value of
having everyone play their roles.
Martinez-Carter, Karina. “How the Elderly Are Treated Around the World.” The Week, 23 July 2013,
theweek.com/articles/462230/how-elderly-are-treated-around-world.
Wallis, Velma. Two Old Women: An Alaska Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival. Illustrated
by Jim Grant. Harper Perennial, 2013.
Zak, Paul J. “How Stories Change the Brain.” Greater Good, 17 Dec. 2013,
greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_stories_change_brain.
Reynoso, Anna. Interview by Julianna Aleman. 25 February 2022