Henna Stories - My Memoirs 💜

Hey Friends! I wanted to share another story with you. As I work at festivals, my story starts to intertwine with other people’s stories, and a beautiful tapestry of textures and colours is woven. I love the vibrancy and honesty that people bring to festivals. A vulnerability. An openness to experience and share and see and do things other than the mainstream norm. I like to listen to stories and sometimes I feel the opportunity to offer some words of encouragement.

In this case, hopefully I offered words of life.

At a festival last year, I was lucky enough to meet a young man and we got to talk a lot over the course of the multiple-day event. He shared his story with me as I henna’d him.

He had grown up with some of the worst possible experiences. These included a severely broken family, abuse, deaths, betrayals... many things that may have broken him beyond repair but instead he used them to strengthen himself and to work hard for a better life.

I really enjoyed his company and he often had my colleague and I in stitches with his recounts. How he could possibly turn some of his tragedies into comedy I have no idea. But he did. And he could easily be a comedian. Relatable and extremely good at weaving his story.

It came to a point in his conversation where he said that if he were to ever be in the same room as his father again, he would kill him.

Here, I found myself presented with a unique and breathtaking opportunity to speak life-changing words and I prayed to God that I wouldn’t muck it up.

I looked him in the eyes and said that he shouldn’t kill him.

“Why? Because that would make me the same as him?” He answers, his eyes dull and his face almost daring me to blame him and condemn him and justify his thoughts of self-doubt.

“No.” I firmly replied. “You are nothing like him, and you never will be. You are better than him... But if you choose to kill him then he has won. You will go to prison, maybe for life, and he will have succeeded in making your life misery.

Instead, you should choose your happiness and choose your life. You should find love, marry, have your kids and be successful. That way, you will win. And he can never defeat you.”

I pray for this young man still, that his decisions will lead to life and not death. That through forgiveness he will be released from his past hurts and choose victory as the ultimate prize.

I hope he took the time to gaze on his Henna and remember our conversation. We certainly shared many more belly-laughs and he was an absolute joy to
know for those few days. A real charismatic. Someone with purpose and a calling on his life. I felt honored to hear his story.

I hope you enjoy reading these stories and also feel connected to the tapestry of life as you imagine and feel and realize that we are all connected and part of the same human race. We each have a part to play and a story to share.

For now, hold your loved ones close and think about what you want to choose for your future.

This photo is from a different event, not related to the story I have shared

Peace out peeps!
Jessi ✌️