Elders

Thomas Doty – Storyteller

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Elders

Many years ago, Grandma Aggie and I were at the Siletz Indian Reservation attending a tribal culture festival. Aggie was teaching moccasin making, and I was telling stories. Late one afternoon we were sitting at a table in the dining area, swapping tales as old friends like to do, especially the two of us.

There was a long line of folks waiting for the kitchen to open for dinner. Just as I was thinking I'd wait a bit for the line to get shorter, a young woman emerged from the kitchen with a dinner tray and brought it to Grandma. It's a tradition and a show of respect that elders are served first. I was about to offer some smart-ass remark about getting old when a second young woman showed up with a tray for me. "It's your gray hair," Grandma laughed. "You're one of us now!"

Another cycle of seasons has circled round, and I'll be a year older in a couple of days. My hair is grayer, and there's less of it. But here's the deal. After all these years, I'm feeling pretty blessed to be still walking my storytelling path, hanging out with remarkable people, listening to their stories, and learning a bit more each day about the magic and beauty of our world. It doesn't get any better than that!

-- December, 2018