“Why does anybody tell a story? It does indeed have something to do with faith. Faith that the universe has meaning, that our little human lives are not irrelevant, that what we choose or say or do matters, matters cosmically.” ― Madeleine L’Engle

 There is a lot of confessional writing out there these days—clickbait titles that come at the expense of oversharing and cheapening our human experience. Sometimes in person we don’t filter our conversation and end up gossiping or oversharing leaving us with a hangover of sorts—that feeling when we walk away of “Ugh…I feel gross. I shared too much.” Our online experience can be very much the same. It’s OK to cultivate an inner life just for ourselves. Not everything needs to be processed and shared with hundreds of strangers.

But that being said, some of our hidden lives demand a witness. We read and write to feel less alone. Some of our stories are crying out to be told. If you are asking, “Why would anyone care about my particular story? I’m just —insert ‘identity’— ,” reconsider. It’s a strange paradox that the more personal our story, the more universal it is. Even though the details are unique, the stories and the themes are the same, and they resonate.

I wanted to share a new micro-blog of a friend on Instagram, Class with Clive: @classwithclive: in her own words, “A journal of hidden stories that rise up as I parent two boys, one who has Down syndrome and Autism. My hope is not only that you will bear witness as I seek to remain present and heal, but that your own hidden stories will rise up and out too.” She is bravely documenting those sacred, but mostly hidden moments of her daily life. They resonate. And as L’Engle says, “what we choose or say or do, matters, matters cosmically.”