Craig's Response to Remen

Kitchen Table Wisdom by Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D.

In the preface of Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D.’s Kitchen Table Wisdom she reveals her struggle with coming to the realization that she is an author. She had doubted her ability to write stories that other people would want to read. Her major discovery in overcoming this doubt was the realization that she should write about things she knows well. She began writing, yet did not have the confidence that the stories would hold up in the public arena. Once her book, Kitchen Table Wisdom, was published she came to appreciate her ability to connect with people and heal them. Books and stories have the power to strengthen, bind, help heal and tear people apart. The written word is a tool of power for humans. For many generations stories have shaped the way we live. Remen discovered that power within herself and has shared her stories with people who have been effected positively from them.

Stories are more than things we tell each other. They make up an important way of how we know, think and feel that is beyond intelligence, a way that can embrace our lives with a fullness not possible by any other means. Stories link us. We are all part of one giant, intricately complex story that breathes with people and things intimately involved in the shared experiences of lives. By sharing stories we enhance our interconnectedness, awareness, and possibilities for future interactions.