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Introduction-Forward
Coming out of our bedroom, into the kitchen, I found my teenage son fanning smoke from his burning fried potatoes. The smoke alarms finally sounded. Out of nowhere, I called out, “Clang, clang, goes the fireman! Clang, clang, goes the fireman!” and stopped in my tracks, frozen and puzzled at such an odd thing for me to do. “Where on earth did that come from.” I said out loud and went to fan the other detector with a pillow.
As I fanned the smoke and pondered, it finally came over me. Frankie the Brave Fireman. At forty-seven years old, I’m calling out a quote from a 1956 children’s book I hadn’t seen or read in over four decades. With joy of the memories of Frankie, my hero, I then began to sing the song that came with the flimsy, Read-a-Long record. The smoke cleared, alarms shut off and then I darted to the family computer and opened YouTube. There it was. I pressed play, with my kids and Francie standing behind me. I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. When the unique sound of that scratchy record began, in an instant, my mind and even body quickly felt like a toddler again.
As I fanned the smoke and pondered, it finally came over me. Frankie the Brave Fireman. At forty-seven years old, I’m calling out a quote from a 1956 children’s book I hadn’t seen or read in over four decades. With joy of the memories of Frankie, my hero, I then began to sing the song that came with the flimsy, Read-a-Long record. The smoke cleared, alarms shut off and then I darted to the family computer and opened YouTube. There it was. I pressed play, with my kids and Francie standing behind me. I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. When the unique sound of that scratchy record began, in an instant, my mind and even body quickly felt like a toddler again.
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As you might imagine, Frankie the Brave Fireman is about a young boy who dreams of being a brave fireman in his hometown. He is told he is too young and small to be a fireman and is discouraged. Then, one day, it all changes with a raging, tall building fire downtown. With the regular fireman at a different fire, Frankie springs into action to save a trapped dog from the top floor while the whole town watches his bravery. He becomes the hero of the town.
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As a toddler, I listened to this record while turning the pages well over a hundred times. Why? Because everyone loves a good story. They make up the very fabric of who we are.
Whole tribes and nations have been founded by narratives, and even centuries later we are still a storytelling culture. The US alone spends over 12 billion dollars per year at the movies and authors publish over 1 million books. We can’t get enough of stories. The fact is, we are biochemically designed to hear stories and to tell stories. Expert, Louis Cozolino, says there are scientific reasons as to why stories are so important to us. He describes,
Whole tribes and nations have been founded by narratives, and even centuries later we are still a storytelling culture. The US alone spends over 12 billion dollars per year at the movies and authors publish over 1 million books. We can’t get enough of stories. The fact is, we are biochemically designed to hear stories and to tell stories. Expert, Louis Cozolino, says there are scientific reasons as to why stories are so important to us. He describes,
“Although stories may appear imprecise and unscientific, they serve as powerful tools for high-level neural network
integration. The combination of a linear storyline and visual imagery woven together with verbal and
nonverbal expressions, activates circuitry of both left and right hemi-frontal lobes. …It is likely that our brains have been
able to become as complex as they are precisely because of the power of narratives”.
integration. The combination of a linear storyline and visual imagery woven together with verbal and
nonverbal expressions, activates circuitry of both left and right hemi-frontal lobes. …It is likely that our brains have been
able to become as complex as they are precisely because of the power of narratives”.
Understanding that story is important is crucial but secondly, we need to know our own before we can start to inspirationally share them. Many feel they don’t have a story because they’ve “lived a normal life.” Dr. Dan Allender, says this ideology is flawed. He says, “We live in a cruel, broken world. At some point, you’ve had to encounter outrage or hurt. No one has the human capacity to live a normal life”.
We’ve had the honor of walking along side over a thousand men and women the past ten years and each with their own unique stories. There are specific types of events that shape much of the direction of our lives. This book was designed with each of those in mind.
This narrative is based on real people and their real stories. These are foundational stories that were explored in a coed group, retreat setting. With their permission and encouragement of this project, we are honored to share them with you. Welcome to the Moon Shadow Lodge!
Rob and Francie Brown
Peter Pan Records Frankie the Brave Fireman. 1956.
Cozolino, L. The Neuroscience of Psychotherapy. W.W. Norton and Co. 2017.
Allender, D., To Be Told Conference Chicago, IL, 2012.
We’ve had the honor of walking along side over a thousand men and women the past ten years and each with their own unique stories. There are specific types of events that shape much of the direction of our lives. This book was designed with each of those in mind.
This narrative is based on real people and their real stories. These are foundational stories that were explored in a coed group, retreat setting. With their permission and encouragement of this project, we are honored to share them with you. Welcome to the Moon Shadow Lodge!
Rob and Francie Brown
Peter Pan Records Frankie the Brave Fireman. 1956.
Cozolino, L. The Neuroscience of Psychotherapy. W.W. Norton and Co. 2017.
Allender, D., To Be Told Conference Chicago, IL, 2012.
