What happened to you?

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Oprah recently co-authored a book with Dr. Bruce Perry called “What happened to you?”. I first learned about it from a Brene Brown podcast. I was both fascinated and deeply distressed by its discussions about vulnerability and trauma. I think everyone can benefit from listening to the podcast (linked here).

I learned from an early age that my parents had both endured capital T trauma in their lives pre-kids. My maternal grandmother carried my mother as a baby on her back as she ran into bomb shelters when the Japanese occupied Taiwan. My mother’s father had 3 wives, a trendy custom during the time. My father’s family endured the wrath of the cultural revolution. He and others hid on a boat and escaped to Hong Kong before he made his way to start a new life in Canada.

My sister found a website called StoryWorth which sends one chosen question a week to your recipient. At the end of the year, all responses are bound into a book which will become a treasured written history. My father has been sharing his stories as a child in Shanghai, how he escaped to Hong Kong and his most memorable trips. Without these prompts, we would never have thought of these questions or taken the time to sit and talk about these things. I’m grateful for this service.