By Chanel Bingham

With age comes wisdom, along with a deeper understanding of life and purpose.

The Bible reaffirms this belief in Job 12:12: “Wisdom is with aged men, with long life is understanding.”

The Bible also demonstrates the need for elders to pass along their understanding to a younger generation: “And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to all who are to come.”

In our fast-paced society, we sometimes neglect the need to slow down long enough to embrace the rich heritage of wisdom our elders have to offer us. They have experiences that only a long life affords, and there is much to be gained from the knowledge they have acquired through both failures and successes.

There are many in our community who have a storehouse of knowledge and understanding to share, and as a new installment of this column, I will be interviewing elders who will offer us encouragement and wisdom as we travel down life’s path.

Today, Mrs. Ola Taylor shares with us her passion for storytelling and reminds us to slow down and take time for our families.

Taylor is a long-time resident of Verbena and a retired middle school history teacher. She has two grown sons and four grandchildren. She is also a member of Verbena United Methodist Church, where she serves as the church historian.

Taylor describes her formative years when the importance of storytelling became rooted in her heart.

“I grew up in a rural region near Verbena in the 1950s,” Taylor said. “I had two little sisters, and we didn’t have any close neighbors or playmates and we didn’t have a television. My grandmother, who lived with us and kept us every day when my mother went to the garden or the field, would entertain us by telling stories.

“Granny Kelly had lots of brothers and sisters, and she would tell us all kinds of stories about her childhood. Our favorite was how Uncle Willie caught his toe under the mill house door and nearly tore his toe off. We loved gruesome things.”

Taylor also fondly recalls her dad being a storyteller.

“He told us a lot of stories from his childhood, and he also told us a lot of tales and legends from the Yellow Creek area in Chilton County where he grew up,” Taylor said. “We ate that up.”

Along with all of the wonderful stories shared by Taylor’s parents and grandparents, her family members were regular attendees at Sunday School and church, where she learned the stories of the Bible.

Taylor said she especially loved Bible school because the teachers shared Bible stories and really made the characters come to life.

Taylor adds that the Book Mobile also made a huge impact in her life.

“The Book Mobile was a service box truck that came out from Clanton library and had shelves filled with books,” she said. “They would come to our local area on a certain day and time, and you could check out books and bring them back the next time they were in the area. I wish we still had the Book Mobile to go out to rural areas.”

As parents and grandparents, Taylor and her late husband Robert (Bob) Taylor made storytelling a priority in their family. She recalls that her husband loved to tell his kids and grandkids about the adventures he and his best friends would go on, with some being true and some being imaginary, but all being loved.

Unfortunately, families are so busy today and are so inundated with technology that it seems the art of storytelling has lost much of its appeal.

“With all of the televisions and movies at hand, you can entertain your child by letting them watch whatever they want to on TV,” Taylor said. “Children also have access to technology such as iPads, and I believe it takes away from families spending time together.

“Another thing is that there are so many activities for children; there are so many organized sports and things that they don’t have time to sit down and talk with their parents about very much at all.”

Taylor said she would like to pass along to parents today the importance of sharing stories.

“I believe stories are the best way to pass along your family and religious heritage,” she said. “Stories give people a perspective of who they are. You’re not just someone who lives on Second Street. Stories help children see that a family is longer, deeper and wider than that and helps hold families together.

“Also, storytelling and story listening does a whole lot to include the imagination of children, and I think that is very important. It helps get them involved and keep alive our heritage.”

“And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me, Until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to all who are to come.” Psalm 71:18

Chanel Bingham is a freelance writer, blogger and public speaker. She resides in Thorsby with her husband and four children. You can visit Chanel at www.thepolishedcanvas.com or on Facebook at “The Polished Canvas.” Her column publishes each week.