I grew up in a storytelling family. My father, my older brother, both of my grandfathers and my great grandfather were all Methodist preachers and, therefore, were required to tell stories. But the stories that made the biggest impression on me came from my mother’s side of the family…..from uncles and aunts who had the gift of observing their lives, picking out gems from their own experience and weaving them into tales that were sometimes funny….sometimes touching or scary……but always entertaining. Without even being aware of it, I set out on a journey in my own life that would eventually depend heavily on storytelling.