I had the privilege of hearing Jimmy Chapman speak about his collection of artifacts and stories from the two world wars this past week. And while I have spent time with veterans that I have been close to from the WW2 and have some knowledge about the wars. I was completely impressed and engrossed in his talk. It wasn’t a big pile of facts; it was an interwoven presentation of stories. He spoke a lot to his process, that if invited he simply listens, he offers no commentary or judgement. He said again and again that he could understand at least the complexity of war time and it was not his place to decide what was right or wrong in that time. He was also an excellent presenter in that he focused on the human faces of the conflict, of all nationalities and sides. Speaking both with pride in his own grandfather’s tour as a bomber, but acknowledging the lives lost due to those efforts. I love history, but I guess this talk helped me crystalize that while I love me a good old butter churn or pump organ what I really love is the human experience, the stories and the imprints of the lives that interacted with these items of the past. Seek a story today, connect with another person and just listen to what they have to share about their particular journey on this earth. It is a privilege to get to know each.
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