Elisabeth Haggblade

"Are you there God? It's me, Margaret. What would you think of me doing a project on religion? You wouldn't mind, would you God? I'd tell you all about it. And I won't make any decisions without asking you first. I think it's time for me to decide what to be. I can't go on being nothing forever, can I?"

― "Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret"

In Judy Blume's very popular bildungsroman, a type of literary genre that explores coming of age, "Are You There God, It's me Margaret," she explores the main protagonist, Margaret, growing up in an interfaith household (Christian and Jewish). Margaret struggles to find her voice and place in the world but learns that maybe, she doesn't have to choose. 

Likewise, in my memoir Trauterose: Growing Up In Postwar Munich, I share my journey growing up in both Catholic and Protestant environments. Specifically, I share my spiritual journey and lessons I learn along the way. In this article, I share 2 lessons I learned growing up in an intrafaith household.

Lesson #1: You Can Learn From Different Spiritual Traditions By Studying The History

Although I was baptized as a Catholic, the foster parents that I grew up with in Munich were non-practicing Protestants who disliked Catholicism. In fact, Vati, my foster father, referred to Catholics as those "damned Catholics" and as "charlatans" (97). This negative view of different spiritual traditions and especially, the Protestant and Catholic divide was not only a post World War II issue; it was a divide that had lingered for hundreds of years. 

To give you a little history of the Protestant and Catholic divide in Europe, the Protestant spiritual tradition broke off from the Catholic tradition in the year 1517. During that year, Martin Luther led the Protestant Reformation and suggested that Protestantism would differ from Catholicism by not requiring a Pope or a spiritual leader to serve as an intermediary between the masses and God. Luther also suggested that the Bible be translated into mother tongues rather than just Latin or Greek. This led to vernacular and local-based spiritual traditions that no longer referred to the Catholic Church or the Pope for guidance. 

As a young child in post World War II, this divide shaped my foster parents views of Catholicism, but it did not function as a divide in my life because I saw the value of both spiritual traditions. Through my experience with nuns and the sisters who helped me as a child and teen, I learned about the community services Catholics engaged in all over the world. Through my experiences with my foster parents, I learned that different spiritual traditions can coexist (afterall, I was a Catholic in a Protestant household!).

Lesson #2: You Will Find Yourself Through This Journey

The second lesson that I learned through my experiences growing up in an intrafaith environment was that you will find yourself through this journey. Despite my foster parents' negative attitudes towards Catholicism and despite some of the misconceptions some Catholics had towards Protestants, I learned to find who I was–that is, to find my voice through all the cacophony. 

Like other children and young adults in the bildungsroman literary genre, my memoir explores my spiritual journey. I learned as a child and young adult to find meaning in places and experience that felt like they had no meaning. I learned that, like I mention in my book, every person that we meet leaves an imprint on us. For example, my foster parents taught me the value of family and not judging others based on their past, whereas the Catholic sisters taught me the value of serving others. 

Learning To Coexist

In my memoir, I explore the ability for different peoples and ideologies to coexist. In fact, I believe that coexistence is not only possible, but necessary. My memoir explores what it means for a child and young adult to navigate these differences and to find your voice when it feels like it's drowning in a sea of other voices. 

To learn more about my journey, read my book. You will not be disappointed by the lessons that I share!

With the recent release of the movie Escape from Germany, there has been a renewed interest in pre and post World War II. This movie portrays the life of The Church of Latter Day Saint missionaries right before the outbreak of war and the missionaries attempts to escape Germany. 

Likewise, in my book Trauterose: Growing Up in Postwar Munich, I share some of my experiences growing up just right after the end of World War II. My memoir explores some of the lessons we can learn from the war, such as how humans can be transformed by tragedy and benefit from post-traumatic growth, as well as how different human beings can be connected to each other through different shared stories and through storytelling. 

The Handshake-The Importance of Shared Stories
In my memoir, I share the story of my birth mother who was pregnant with me and met two women on a train with one woman seeking a child:

"My mother was working as a waitress for the Cafe Luitpold. [...] She was young and glamorous, her life in front of her, seemingly full of possibilities.

How then did I fit into her picture? I didn't. I was in the way. A brief encounter among women in a city tram one night came to the rescue" (19).

These women were listening to each other's stories and needs and then my birth mother offered one of the women an opportunity to adopt me since the woman who would adopt me wanted a child. What this event shows us is that during and after tragedies, it's important to share stories. By sharing their stories and listening to these women speak, my birth mother was able to find a loving home for me. 

With a simple handshake, the women on the train and my birth mother were able to intertwine their stories and fulfill each other's needs simply by listening and sharing their journeys. 

Posttraumatic Growth: What We Can Learn From Trauma
According to the American Psychological Association, posttraumatic growth is the "positive change" individuals can experience after trauma and tragedy, such as "a new appreciation for life, a newfound sense of personal strength and a new focus on helping others." In my memoir, I share how the experiences different individuals, especially myself, had from life after World War II led to new and positive insights. 

In my memoir, post-traumatic growth is seen in aspects such as:

• Gratitude for being alive and to the different individuals who we meet on our journeys in life.
• An appreciation for basic necessities such as food and clean water;
• The ability to have a sense of belonging after rampant nationalism and facism had destroyed different communities in Germany and Europe.

As I mention in my memoir in a quote by Alfred Lord Tennsyon, "I am a part of all that I have met." Part of what we meet in this life is not just other people, but we also face trauma that can sometimes change us for the better. That is because trauma doesn't just leave a negative imprint; it can also have positive effects.

Trauterose: A Story of Resilience After World War II
Trauterose is a story of resilience after experiencing World War II. It is a story of finding out what lessons we can learn from the war, as well as the people and places we meet and experience as part of our journeys. My memoir is about finding what makes us resilient and powerful when trauma and tragedy can sometimes leave us feeling powerless.

"When we deny our stories and disengage from tough emotions, they don't go away; instead, they own us, they define us. Our job is not to deny the story, but to defy the ending—to rise strong, recognize our story, and rumble with the truth until we get to a place where we think, Yes. This is what happened. This is my truth. And I will choose how this story ends."

― Brené Brown, Rising Strong: The Reckoning. The Rumble. The Revolution

In Brené Brown's book on the importance of vulnerability and storytelling, she writes that storytelling can empower you; it can help you find your voice, your resilience, and the future that you're trying to create. As a storyteller, I share with you two powerful reasons why storytelling is crucial in this day and age–ranging from providing a blueprint for others who may be on a similar journey, to finding the common truths shared by humans such as finding hope and resilience after experiencing tragedy. 

What is Storytelling?
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, storytelling is "the activity of writing, telling, or reading stories." Specifically, storytelling is the ability and experience of sharing and taking part in another person's account of life, their imagination, or other aspects of meaning-making. What this means is that storytelling is both an individual and communal act; it matters because we have something that we want to share with another. 

I wrote my memoir, Trauterose: Growing Up in Postwar Munich to document and share my story of my life as an orphan growing up in post World War II and after the Holocaust in Germany. Like many other authors, I share my journey of growth, healing, and transformation, but what makes my memoir unique is how it plays with the concept of storytelling. As readers follow my journey, they also learn about the history of Germany, the lives of various people of that period such as the SS officer whom I lived with as a child and teenager after losing my parents, and my experiences learning a new language and culture after moving to the United States. My story is one of hope, resilience, and bravery after a life of many changes and transitions. 

Two Key Benefits of Storytellers
Storytelling and those who share their stories, storytellers, are beneficial to their readers, the world, and the future that we aim to create. Storytellers offer readers a new perspective on life and new, tried and tested tools to navigate the challenges of life.

1. Storytellers provide their readers and the world with new insights
When we share our stories, we provide our readers and the world with new insights. For example, in my memoir, I share my journey of learning English and adapting the culture of the United States after immigrating from Germany. My journey helps my readers understand that learning a new language and culture may be challenging, but it can also be motivating, leading me to pursue a PhD in English philology. For my readers, I share insight into how not to be discouraged by the hurdles we face, but to instead see them as challenges that we can live up to. 

Storytellers offer readers insights that have been tried and tested–in fact, they have been tested by the author, themselves! Books, and in particular, memoirs, help readers see what has worked for the storyteller. Whether that's learning to find peace after experiencing loss or how to navigate being a teen in a new environment, readers can see for themselves and learn from those who share their stories. 

2. Storytellers enhance their readers' empathy
According to Roman Krznaric, reading and especially reading other people's stories can help enhance readers' empathy. In Krznaric's book, Empathy: Why It Matters, and How to Get It, he writes, "empathy is the art of stepping imaginatively into the shoes of another person, understanding their feelings and perspectives, and using that to understanding to guide your actions." Like many other researchers, he believes that stories, sharing, and reading our and other people's stories can help improve listeners' and readers' empathy since it allows them to experience another person's perspective. In fact, many researchers like Krznaric actively encourage reading books or listening to other people's stories so that we can be more empathetic.

Storytelling Is Powerful!
In Trauterose: Growing Up in Postwar Munich, I encourage readers to find the hidden gems, as well as the obvious insights that I provide into life and the human condition. That is because I believe that storytelling is powerful and can be used to change our lives and the world. When we listen to or read another person's story, we are actively engaging in problem-solving, empathy-building, and learning of new insights on how to navigate various aspects of our world and imagination.