I met Kelsy Bellah a few weeks back at a meeting of the Brownwood Kiwanis Club where we were both guests. Kelsy spoke to the group about her purchase of Brown County Living magazine, and the vision she has for its content. I followed up with her about what she has planned.
“I hold a soft spot in my heart for hardworking people who get up every day and try to make their dreams a reality–no matter how big or small those dreams might be. This area of Texas is filled with people who do just that. I want to give everyone the opportunity to tell their stories,” Kelsy said. “I think we owe it to each other to share our struggles and our achievements, to be a source of strength and inspiration to one another. Those stories don’t have to just be centered around the workforce. Life is about so much more. People are about so much more. While I applaud the Chambers for what they do in our communities, I just have a stronger desire to showcase the individuals behind the storefronts, or those without any storefronts at all.”
Kelsy moved to Brownwood in 2015 when her husband took a job as a company pilot for Nelson Wholesale’s. She graduated from Howard Payne and worked in the English Department at Brownwood High School. “When my husband died at the young age of 31, his story was the greatest part of him I had to give to my son,” Kelsy remarked. “We cherish his life by telling and retelling his story. I think that’s something we all do with our loved ones. But it’s also important to tell our own stories and to hear about people we don’t know, too. It creates community. It creates empathy for one another. It’s just part of the human experience. Being able to write down and publish stories within the pages of Brown County Living magazine is the greatest gift I can give this community. It’s history in the making. It’s helping others to leave behind a legacy.”
I really liked what Kelsy had to say because it is the exact reason I find value in what I do. A statement sometimes attributed to the Greek philosopher Plato, and also known as a Native American Hopi saying, has always fascinated me when it comes to the power of story. It says, “Those who tell the stories rule society.” This is true. Stories define a people–where they came from, where they are now, and where they are going to be. The news tells stories (whether true or not), movies tell stories, even commercials are little stories designed to lead us in a particular direction.
People relate to and find meaning in storytelling more than any other medium. Like Kelsy, I think it’s the stories of regular people that matter the most. You don’t have to be rich or ‘successful’ according to the world’s standard to have a meaningful story that inspires hope, perseverance and vision. In fact, most of those stories are found outside of what mass media finds important. Good stories move people to do good things. It also seems to me that if you don’t like the current trend of culture, there is a simple prescription for that. Tell a different story.
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Diane Adams is a local journalist whose columns appear Thursdays on BrownwoodNews.com
