Alva James-Johnson: Good stories can be found everywhere

Everybody has a story.

It may sound cliché, but it's true. I know firsthand from years of experience looking for good stories and finding them sometimes in the most unlikely places.

Just this week I interviewed a family that has owned a cemetery in Columbus going on three generations. Their compelling story of adversity, courage and endurance will appear in the Ledger-Enquirer in the coming days. So I will refrain from prematurely divulging the details. But the experience reminded me of how many fascinating stories exist all around us.

What's interesting about good stories is you don't have to go very far to find them. They're in our homes, on our jobs and in our churches. Wherever people exist, so do good narratives. All it takes is one conversation to hit a gold mine, even in a cemetery.

As a child, I heard many fascinating stories from my parents and other relatives about their years in the Caribbean before coming to America. Though born of humble beginnings, they managed to overcome many challenges to eke out a decent existence.

Dad, now in his 80s, still reminisces about his years as a young tailor on the tiny island of Antigua. At 22, he was the first in his village to purchase a car (a 1956 Vauxhall Velox). The vehicle cost him $4,000, and one day a baby was delivered in the back seat as he tried to rush a woman to the hospital.

My mother, who grew up on the even smaller island of Nevis, was raised in a family of eight children. Her father, like many Caribbean men of that generation, had to leave his family to work on another island where jobs were more plentiful. My mother remembers the excitement she felt when he sent packages home with goodies for his children.

I've heard these stories multiple times, but I'm only now beginning to appreciate the rich history they offer. I regret that I haven't taken the time over the years to write them down.

And my family is not unique. Since I've been in Columbus, I've stumbled across so many fascinating stories about people and events during the Civil War, the civil rights movement and other historic events. Many who tell the stories are just ordinary people who lived through extraordinary events. Yet each story is a valuable piece of the tapestry in the broader human experience.

We're all storytellers in some shape or form in the lives we live and tales we pass from generation to generation.

So what about in your life? What are the fascinating stories that have inspired you over the years? And what are some of the stories in your family that are still untold?

If you have a minute, stop by my Facebook page and share. I would love to read them.

Alva James-Johnson, 706-571-8521. Reach her on Facebook at AlvaJamesJohnsonLedger.

This story was originally published February 19, 2015 at 11:20 PM with the headline "Alva James-Johnson: Good stories can be found everywhere."