Telling Stories
As a recent graduate from the University of Utah College of Humanities (with degrees in English and Philosophy) Heather Walker is seeing many things in her life through new eyes. “Everything looks different to me now. I have learned to really read, to think, and to understand. I have greater empathy and understanding for the diverse people in my life.”
This includes her own family, and in particular of her grandparents.
While a student at the University of Utah, Heather has spent time twice a week with her grandparents in Lehi, Utah, providing computer support, doing light cleaning, gardening and generally helping out with whatever they needed. “So far, this has been the most rewarding work of my life,” she notes.
Heather is a writer at heart, so stories are important to her. Perhaps that’s why one of the most profound things she has done is to help organize the temporal remembrances of her grandparents’ very rich and busy lives. “ My grandfather was an aerial photographer, so their home is just full of piles of these amazing photographs. I’m trying to help put them in some sense of order.” She has also been helping her grandmother sort through piles of letters, memorabilia and photos and organizing them into a scrapbook of sorts. “It’s so fun to see pictures of her as a young woman. I see her differently now - she’s not just an old lady.” Heather has spent much of her time with her grandparents learning their stories. “I’ve learned so much about who they are. I’ve known them my whole life, but it wasn’t until I was given this opportunity to talk with them on a regular basis, and more importantly to listen to them, and have them share their life stories with me, that I really got to know them.” She says that her time with her grandparents has opened up a whole new view of who they are – and as a result, who she is.
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| Heather and her Grandmother Photo by Tyson Chappell |
Heather says that learning of her grandparents’ lives, their struggles and trials, has shown her what she really wants in her own life. “They love each other so much. This is what I want in a marriage.” She counts her time with “these two amazing individuals” as one of her greatest blessings. “I’ve had the chance to listen to their stories, to learn from their examples.”
She’s now writing about her personal experiences with her grandparents, as well as helping to create a narrative of their lives that she hopes can be shared with other family members. “My grandparents are amazing individuals. I really want to help tell their story.”
Heather’s work with her grandparents has opened another interest for her: genealogical research. “The stories of my ancestors are fascinating,” she exclaims. She’s recently created a website to house all the family history information and documentation. “So much of this rich history, these great stories, is comprised of individual documents sitting around in boxes or files where no one could see them. Now it’s all the web so the stories are accessible to anyone who is researching one of my ancestors.” Creating the website required hours of work digitizing and scanning documents so they could be uploaded. The site is now searchable, making it even more user-friendly for those interested in her family history.
Heather’s love of writing and of stories has spilled over into other areas of her life as well. She has been a volunteer at the Lehi Literacy Center (Lehi, Utah) since she was in elementary school. Then, as a student at the University of Utah, she sought out the opportunity to work at the University’s Literary Action Center. She had the specific opportunity to work with one individual, helping her read, write and learn basic math. “I’ve used everything I’ve learned here at the U, and been able to share it with this other person. She was interested in writing poetry, so I taught her what I know of poetry, and we wrote together. She has now learned a way to express herself that she didn’t have before.”
Heather is now preparing for a new chapter in her life. She married this summer, and is moving to Logan Utah while her husband finishes his schooling. While she will be working full time to support her new family, she will no doubt also be exploring her world and continuing to write its stories.