June 2005
Twenty-five years ago, Muriel Horowitz and I pitched the idea of a story circle to Gail Burger who was, at that time, the Executive Director of The Dutchess Interfaith Council. As storytellers, Muriel and I believed in the power of stories to bring people together. “By sharing stories from our faith traditions, stories that come from the heart, we can learn to value each other as unique individuals,” we explained. With the help of Kusum Gupta from the Hindu Samaj and Fatima Thompson from Masjid-Al-Noor, the story circle was formed.
For almost 20 years, we met monthly in various houses of worship in Dutchess County, returning several times to places where we had built lasting friendships such as the Buddhist monastery on Sheafe Road, the Hindu Samaj, Masjid Al-Noor, Temple Beth-El and Mariapolis Luminosa. Each circle had a specific theme and a unique quality. While there were regulars who came faithfully to our different circles, we also had the wonderful opportunity of introducing the power of storytelling to newcomers at every place we visited.
One of the most memorable circles took place on December 7th, 2017, in remembrance of Pearl Harbor Day. 14 Muslims, Christians and Hindus met in the community room of Masjid Al-Noor to explore the theme of “Kindness in the Face of Adversity.” Everyone recognized the weightiness of theme. After introductions, the stories bubbled up from the wellspring of story that is part of the human fabric, stories from faith traditions, folklore, and personal experience.
A gentleman began with a Hindu story…
There was once a well-to-do man who owned a beautiful white horse that he rode through the fields every day. One day, an old man with a crooked back stood by the side of the road and called out, “Please sir, may I have a ride?” The owner of the horse replied, “Of course.” He stretched out his hand and pulled the old man onto the horse. As soon as the old man was lifted up, he shoved the owner of the horse onto the ground, grabbed the reins and was about to ride off when the owner called out, “Take the horse if you must but please, please, don’t tell anyone what has happened. For if you do, people will stop trusting one another. They will live in fear and never reach out a hand to help another.” When the old man heard that, he came down off the horse and returned it to the owner.
One story after another flowed out; each tale becoming a response to the one heard before, a great outpouring of stories that was a testament to the strength of the human spirit.
In 2020, when the pandemic struck, we tried to continue our circles online but found that Zoom was a poor replacement for in-person gatherings and the circles fizzled out. Now, we are happy to report that we are reinvigorating this endeavor.
Stories That Nourish the Soul marked the in-person return of the Dutchess County Interfaith Council Interfaith Story Circle after a long hiatus due to the pandemic.
We set out 20 chairs but had to keep adding seats as more and more folks arrived reinforcing our belief that in-person gatherings have a special and much needed energy.
Our stories included a Tibetan tale, literary stories, personal anecdotes and a Buddhist koan as well as appreciations and reflections.
Perhaps the most powerful statement came from Nature itself. As we sat in a beautiful room of Palpung Thubten Choling Monastery, we closed our circle as we gazed at a most glorious sunset over the Hudson River.
