Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko
Plenty of family stories preserving heritage are easily overlooked, especially by the younger generation. They treat them like memories that grandma or grandpa likes to yap on and on about. Yet these narratives, in some way, serve as a time machine that transports listeners across generations without any fancy technology.
Maya Butalid’s Chasing Windmills shows exactly how this works.
Her collection of essays about growing up in the Philippines and later building a life in the Netherlands demonstrates the power of storytelling in keeping history alive.
“I wanted to write a book for my daughters and grandchildren. I want to share with them the insights I had in life which brought me to where I am now.”
This simple desire to pass down experiences shows how preserving heritage through family stories works naturally across time. The pages become an actual time machine that lets her grandchildren understand their roots and see where their Lola came from.
Photo by Sam Lion
Storytelling Through Personal Accounts
When one person shares their memories through personal accounts, others can relive history through narrative.
Maya does this beautifully throughout her work, writing about her childhood on P. del Rosario Street in Cebu City, describing her neighborhood as “a microcosm of Philippine society.” Through her eyes, readers see the class differences between her middle-class community and the poorer “taga luyo” neighborhood just beyond the alley.
Stories like these do more than entertain and teach lessons about acceptance and understanding. Maya recalls how her mother never forbade her from playing with girls who sometimes turned to prostitution. “While we continued to hang around with girls from the luyo neighborhood who sometimes prostituted themselves, my sister and I did not follow suit. We continued to hold on to our values; but at the same time, we were not judgemental of the other girls who had different values.”
This kind of storytelling passes wisdom across generations without overt preaching. Moments are shown in detail rather than told.
Reliving History Through Narrative
Maya’s grandchildren have their own experiences of Filipino heritage, calling her Lola and her husband Lolo instead of the Dutch Oma and Opa.
When her granddaughter Tala introduced Maya to her teacher, she said, “This is my Oma” because the teacher would not understand “Lola.” Yet Tala was aware of the difference between the two, which showed how she’s learned to navigate both cultures.
The blending of cultures creates unique stories that are worth preserving and passing on to the next generation.
Maya writes about taking her grandchildren to the Philippines for the first time. Tala, then six years old, asked, “When are we coming back here?” while they were still on the trip. Maya found this amusing and cherished the moment, delighted that the rest of her family shared her love for her country.
Such family stories preserving heritage help children understand where their family came from and why it matters.
The value of these glimpses into the past extends beyond individual families. Maya participated in a project called “Inburgeren in Marokko,” in which Dutch policymakers traveled to Morocco to experience what civil integration was like.
By walking in someone else’s shoes, she gained an understanding that improved policies for refugees. “Civil integration is more than learning the language,” she concluded. “The role of the receiving society is just as important for a successful civil integration process.”
Keeping History Alive
Writing down stories ensures that they survive for future generations and that their lessons will be remembered forever.
For example, Maya’s book serves as a permanent record of her journey from Filipino activist to Dutch citizen and back to development work in the Philippines.
At length, in the first essays of the book, she describes her involvement in the revolutionary movement against the Marcos dictatorship, her work with Filipino communities in the Netherlands, and her service as a city councillor in Tilburg.
These written accounts teach valuable lessons about Maya’s experiences and values.
She recalls serving as a city councilor and the strict rules against conflicts of interest.
“Once, when a casino operator wanted to open a casino in Tilburg, he invited the whole council to go to his casino. But the council refused because this could be construed as a bribe.”
She contrasts this with Philippine governance, wondering “when our politicians and policymakers in the Philippines will reach this level of integrity.”
Maya’s experience with breast cancer adds another still-human layer to her story.
“Knowing that I have cancer makes me think differently of death. Death is no longer something which I generally prepare for. Suddenly death gets to have a time frame.”
This honesty about mortality makes her stories more urgent and meaningful. She decided to finish writing her book because “when you are confronted with cancer, you suddenly feel that your life has a deadline.”
Photo by ArthurHidden
Connecting Generations Across Time
Storytelling builds bridges between old and young.
Maya babysits her grandchildren regularly, developing bonds through shared activities. She plays board games, does crafts, and even plays make-believe about going to the Philippines or some other place.
These moments create new stories that will be passed down in turn.
The power of reconnecting with family through stories becomes clear when Maya describes the profound influence being a mother had on her life. Such reflections come from years of lived experience and offer comfort to readers facing similar challenges.
Stories actually are time machines that connect past, present, and future generations. It won’t take us there physically, where we want to be, but we feel it in our hearts.
Maya Butalid’s Chasing Windmills (and many others) remind us that our stories matter.
Stories shape how we understand ourselves and our place in the world. We give future generations the knowledge of where they came from and the values that can guide them forward.
Maya Butalid’s Chasing Windmills will have you travel through a life of purpose, struggle, and triumph. And don’t miss The Heart of a Mother—an anthology of stories from mothers that explores the deepest bonds of family and love.
