The keeper of stories has often been a woman.
I didn’t realize how much that mattered until I moved my aunt across the country in a U-Haul. She is the last living sibling on my mother's side. Like so many women before her, she carries the family's stories.
I learned that my great-uncle Karl helped lay the original runways at Stapleton Airport, work that later damaged his lungs from cement dust. He also owned one of Denver's first laundromats. 'The women were so happy,' my aunt said. 'It was a wonderful place to do laundry.'
I smiled to myself, wondering if anyone has ever truly been happy doing laundry.
I'm grateful for the time I spent listening. When my aunt is gone, many of those stories will disappear with her. Some now live with me, but I haven't done much to pass them on. Soon I'll belon…