To my surprise, when I came to New Zealand, my mother in law gave me a couple of them from her garden. I gave it a second chance drawing from my past experiences and was able to cook a dish (thanks to Panlasang Pinoy and mum's recipe). I'm happy to say hubby loved it.
I looked around at the supermarkets and couldn't find it being sold at all. I have to wait that one time in the year that they are in season to eat that dish that reminds me of home growing up. The waiting might have even made it taste better!
If it wasn't for my mom who made me help her cook (parents hint hint😉) I wouldn't have experienced the satisfaction of bringing joy to others by making this dish that my family loved. I wouldn't have found a common interest with my mother in law. I wouldn't have waived off those moments that I do get homesick.
We call it sayote but it's known in English as chayote and in Chinese as Chokko (I'm pretty sure I didn't spell that right 😂).
It's a humble vegetable. It gets planted and then after a few months, we get to eat it. But the eating is not just eating a vegetable. In my life, I ate joy, tasted comraderie, and filled up with comfort from home. All because someone shared it with me.
It's kind of like our life stories. We go through so many things in life but they are a kind of a planting. Not just one vegetable but a whole garden of "why did this happen to me Lord?" moments to name a few. All it needs is time to grow. And once shared, we and those around us get to eat food for our souls if we grow them well.
I believe God will use everything you've been through for such a feast.
I hope you've gotten some ideas how to tell your story in your journal. It doesn't have to be elaborate and grandiose. It can be as simple as a vegetable—I mean as simple as an everyday thing.😌
And if you need a place to tell it, start here in the Illustrated Life Story Journal printable I made for you (it's free in this link).
Another thing I made are storytelling stickers. They're a fun way to tell the story only you can. Your kids or kids-to-be will love it! (Mine does and she's just one year old 😆).
I've drawn it for you, all it needs is your story that puts it's all together. Here's the verse from my own journal that inspired this story.
If coloring is too daunting, don't let it stop you. Watch this coloring video that shows you step by step in real time (without the parts that nothing happened on screen) how to do it.
If you love this concept of Storytelling Stickers and want to save this post on Pinterest, here's a handy image to pin.
