Grandpa’s Stories (Papaw!) OR Langston Hughes Reminds Me of the Best Stories

Last updated on: February 16, 2019 at 9:54 am by John Mark N. Reynolds

Grandpa’s Stories (Papaw!) OR Langston Hughes Reminds Me of the Best Stories 2019-02-16T09:54:55-04:00 John Mark N. Reynolds

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Grandpa’s Stories

(Langston Hughes)

The pictures on the television

Do not make me dream as well

As the stories without pictures

Grandpa knows how to tell.

Even if he does not know

What makes a spaceman go,

Grandpa says back in his time,

Hamburgers only cost a dime,

Ice cream comes a nickel,

And a penny for a pickle.

Both my grandfathers could tell a good story, but Papaw Reynolds was a story telling Jedi. He had standard voices he used and if he repeated some standards, Dad said by the time Papaw was old Dad could tell the stories as well he could, there was no harm in it. Papaw was passing along the oral tradition and I am smiling right now as I recall one in particular.

Safe to say no rat was safe in his boyhood country home. Papaw was inventive.

Story telling is hard to do just now. Hughes points to television in his day as a distraction, but now we can add the ubiquitous smartphone busy distracting us. A story told properly takes years of hearing to marinate in the mind, heard again when there is a new listener in the room.

The first time a good story is told well there might laughter or tears, depending on the type of tale. Each further telling lacks the surprise punch of the first time, but becomes more about the story teller. As a listener, I learned to look for something new each time, some adjustment to the voice, or some detail I had missed. If it was a story from Papaw, this was my history, my backstory, not one created by marketeers or a focus group.

You can learn a lot about a man by the stories that are left and I learned a good bit about the way things were by listening. The history of the big men should never be allowed to overwrite the history of the common man. Frank Capra told us that in film, our job is remember, millions of us, the George Baileys that were real: Earl Combs, Shelby Reynolds.

The obvious conclusion is to go find your grandparents, how I wish I still could, and listen. If you are a grandparent, and I live in hope, then tell a story if you can. Keep the oral tradition strong. This is all true, so true it hardly needs to be said, only done.

Here is what is what might be missed: classical Papaw storytelling takes time to develop. Young man, tell a story, funny or sad, to your friends. Everyone put down the phone, turn off the screen, and let the future Papaws of America tell a tale. When there is nothing to do, turn to future Papaw and ask for a favorite. The Darwinian process of the best stories surviving begins in youth as a few make the future Papaw’s canon of stories each year.

Practice.

And remember that In ‘N Out or Whataburger will never taste as good as it does now, there was a time when you could not buy Blue Bell in Texas, and there were only six Star Wars films. Remember that first day on the first job? Tell the story out loud. Fifty years from now it will be too late.

Tell a story tonight.

——————————————

I read Langston Hughes in fifth grade, did the report fifth graders do, and have been learning from him ever since. Read some Hughes.

Culture

On Books

Spiritual Reflections

Previous Post

February 14, 2019

A January Dandelion, In February (George Marion McClellan)

Next Post

February 16, 2019 Their Eyes Were Watching God (Zora Neale Hurston)

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Apologetics Art Culture Education On Books On Education Philosophy Politics Pop Culture Spiritual Reflections Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 July 2025 June 2025 September 2024 July 2024 June 2024 December 2023 June 2023 September 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

How many stones did David take to fight Goliath?

Select your answer to see how you score.

5 7 3 4

Books by This Author John Mark Reynolds

See All Titles »