I am not sure what I expected from a chapter titled “Lives of the Storytellers,” but I certainly did not expect what I got. What I got was memories of the greatest storytellers in my life. It did not require much reflection to bring them vividly back into my presence. Charlie J. Williams and Alcie L. Williams were the greatest storytellers that I have ever known. The beauty of these two tellers was that they told stories with little effort, much grace, and a magnitude of finesse. Their stories were a part of their lives. They lived their story. That is what made them so magnanimous in the telling of each morsel of a tale. These tellers were not known outside of their world, but within their world they were the hero and heroine of the day.
Charlie Williams often told personal stories that covered his vast experience from a life beginning in Prattsville, Alabama through Cincinnati, Ohio and finally ending in Tempe, Arizona. The experiences in Prattsville centered around the life of a farmer and his family. These stories began when he was very young and living with his parents on the land owned by a white man. They progressed to his life as a sharecropper again on property owned by a white man. But Charlie had dreams and aspirations that he shared with his family and friends. He carried these dreams and aspirations to Cincinnati, Ohio, where his goal was to build a better life for his children. Always prevalent in his stories was the encouragement to attain more and more formal education. One of his noted sayings was “Once you get the knowledge, nobody can take it away from you.” Through his stories of hope and perseverance, Charlie encouraged many young men and women to complete college degrees, something he had never attained.
Reverend Alcie Williams was a great biblical storyteller. She told stories to audiences of varying size, from two or three listeners to hundreds of listeners at a setting. Her stories were sometimes so subtle until it was weeks, months and even years before the smaller group of listeners realized that the story originated in the Bible. When Alcie preached, you felt that she had told you a story of profound wisdom rather than preached you a sermon. Unfortunately, her stories were not recorded, neither were her manuscripts preserved. However, her youngest child happens to stumble upon a lone manuscript folded between the pages of a book. The story was about the crucifixion of the Christ. Her mother had painted a vivid picture of one of the ‘words’ spoken by Jesus as he hung on the cross suspended between heaven and earth. He said, “It is finished.” Alcie vividly told the story of Jesus’ battle with sin, death and the grave. Her use of metaphor was exquisite:
“It is always the tallest tree which feels the full fury of the storm.
The pure in heart who suffers most from impurity;
Those who love goodness, who feel passionately the presence of evil;
And those who strive for right who are most aware of wrong.”
Dan Yashinsky’s book, Suddenly They Heard Footsteps, is well worth the read when it elicits such memories as these. To reflect on that which has inspired you to grow in the character, grace and love is a momentous. To recognize that which made you the awesome man or woman that you are today is to give honor to those responsible for such influence. Take just a minute or two and think about the storytellers in your life. Surely, they too, are great storytellers.
The picture at the top of the post shows Sylvia Torrey (third from left) with the other faculty of the SMCC Storytelling Institute at the 2017 Faculty Concert.
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