#personal-narratives

#personal-narratives

I had been asking a lot of questions. I ended up being pulled aside by several deacons who wanted to talk to me about my questions. They were kind and nice, but eventually, I had a one-on-one with one of the church elders. We had a really interesting conversation on theology, frameworks of thought, and ideology. Even philosophy. At one point, when we started addressing the questions I had, he asked me if I knew what the first sin was. I gave the usual catechism answer of disobedience. He praised my answer and corrected me. He said the first sin was when they questioned God, as it led to the notion that they might know better. That led to disobedience.

"They leave their memories there," a former oil worker, who asks to go by the pseudonym Diego García, tells me. García, 36, is undergoing chemotherapy treatments for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), which he developed while cleaning sites contaminated with drilling waste. He's worried that employers won't hire him again if they learn he spoke to a journalist. "Some people leave pants, too." He laughs.

I was petrified when I got that call. It wasn't just the thought of other people knowing what I had done; I also had to face myself, and that is a sick feeling - it is guilt, shame.

We're seeking short first-person anecdotes and stories that convey what it's like to walk in the shoes of Berkeleyans from various backgrounds.

Kathryn Foley shares, "We met in kindergarten at St. Joseph's in Menlo Park, California... we always managed to find our way back to each other."