After turning 50, Angie Clayton discovered her most important mission: to help others share stories only they can tell.
When she turned 50, Angie didn’t expect her greatest impact would come from simply listening and helping others feel seen. But as the years unfolded, Angie found herself increasingly drawn to the power of storytelling.
She didn’t want to share just her own story, but also the deeply personal, often sacred stories of people who forged through life’s triumphs and trials.
Now in her 60s, Angie has embarked on her most meaningful work yet, which she calls “The Chosen Project.” It is a storytelling initiative rooted in faith, vulnerability and the belief that every person has been chosen for something significant.
“I’ve realized over the last year how important our stories are,” Angie said. “Not just our story, singular, but our stories. We each have so many to tell. The older we get, the more stories we have, and frankly, the more valuable they are. Because now we can tell them with wisdom.”
Called to listen
Angie’s passion for storytelling didn’t arise in a vacuum. For years, she was active in what she called a “ministry of presence.” She walked with people through seasons of grief, not to fix their pain, but simply to be with them in it.
“Right now I’m working with a young lady whose husband is terminal,” she said. “I say ‘working with,’ but really I’m just listening. She’s in such a hard, sad place, and she just needs somebody who’s for her.”
It’s a role Angie has embraced with humility.
“I asked her before we started meeting, ‘Are you okay with meeting with an old lady?,’” Angie related. “And she said, ‘No, I want that so much.’”
That response echoes something Angie has seen repeatedly: young women crave connection with older women, even if those older women feel unsure of their relevance.
“We hesitate to pursue or get involved with younger women thinking we don’t have anything to offer,” she said. “But what I’m discovering is they really do want to connect with us. They think we have things to offer. So it must be true.”
A shift in direction
Although Angie had long walked beside others in grief, she felt a new calling taking shape. She began collecting stories from people about what they believed they had been chosen for in life.
“It has been the coolest thing,” Angie explained. “When you ask someone, ‘Would you let me interview you or write something for me about being chosen?,’ most people respond, ‘What do you mean? I have no idea.’
“But, with just a little bit of poking and prodding, we can usually get to something pretty quickly that’s very meaningful,” she added.
Those conversations evolved into “The Chosen Project,” which Angie envisions as both an online storytelling series and a book-length anthology featuring personal narratives from people of all walks of life. Every story is unique, but each one highlights God’s faithfulness and purpose.
“The point of the whole project is that we’re chosen for all of it – the good and the hard,” she said. “If we believe what the Bible says is true, then we’re chosen for all the things that come our way. And our job is to decide how we’re going to respond.”
One story that touched her deeply came from a woman who bakes bread twice a week and delivers it to a local fire station. She had called 911 when her sons fell into the pool, and the firefighters responded quickly, saving their lives.
“She didn’t see that as ministry at first,” Angie said. “But every time she walks that bread down there, she’s ministering. That’s her story. And it’s beautiful.”
Unstoppable – but not in the way she expected
Angie’s theme word for 2025 was “unstoppable.” It was a word she felt was divinely inspired. But the year began with a series of literal and figurative setbacks.
“I had back surgery on January 3rd, then broke two ribs and a wrist, then my dad, who has Alzheimer’s, fell down the stairs and ended up in ICU,” she recalled. “I was definitely stopped at every turn.”
Eventually, she realized the lesson wasn’t about her strength.
“God showed me I can certainly be stopped. He’s the one who’s unstoppable,” she explained. “When I align with Him, then I’m unstoppable, but not in my own strength.”
Her reflection underscores a deeper truth that has shaped Angie’s post-50 journey: to surrender.
“It’s humbling and freeing to realize you’re not the one running the show,” she said.
Stories that resonate
What surprises Angie the most is how many people minimize their own stories.
“They’ll say, ‘My story’s just X, Y, Z, so it probably won’t resonate with anyone,’” Angie explained. “But I’m telling you, every single one of the 40 stories I’ve collected so far will resonate with someone.”
She points to the story of a young woman who lost her mother just two days after giving birth to her first child. Angie didn’t have that experience herself, but the woman’s response to tragedy moved her deeply.
“Even if you haven’t gone through the exact thing, you can still connect,” she said. “Her courage and grace are things that reach all of us.”
A sacred legacy
Angie believes seasoned citizens have a responsibility to preserve their stories, not just for themselves, but for their families and the generations that follow.
“When our parents die, we lose our history,” she said. “I was able to get some stories from my dad between diagnosis and when I couldn’t talk to him anymore. I have his voice recorded, and that’s so precious to me.”
She also had a tender moment with her mother while going through her baby book.
“There were things in there I didn’t know anything about. I wish I would’ve done more. I wish I would’ve had more time,” Angie admitted.
That experience cemented her desire to help others share their stories before it’s too late.
“We tend to minimize our own stories,” she said. “But the truth is that somebody will care. Probably more than one somebody.”
Purpose through presence
Today, Angie’s life is filled with quiet, yet powerful moments of purpose. They may be coffee dates with young women, writing blog posts prompted by her grandson, and showing up for a friend going through cancer, just as she once did.
“I didn’t do anything special,” she said. “But I’ve been through it. So I can take her hand, and we can go forward together.”
Angie has also made peace with saying no to things that don’t light her up. When asked to serve as church treasurer, she initially declined, reconsidered, and ultimately said no. Just hours later, she received a request to meet with a young woman in crisis, which is something that deeply aligns with her heart.
“Had I said yes to the treasurer role, it would’ve crowded out time with her,” Angie said. “Just because something is offered doesn’t mean you have to say yes. Especially at our age, our time is too short to waste.”
Sharing stories, spreading hope
Ultimately, Angie believes storytelling is not only meaningful, but also biblical. She draws inspiration from the woman at the well in John 4 who ran to her village to share her encounter with Jesus.
“She didn’t plan it. She just told her story. And people believed because of what she said,” Angie explained. “Later, they believed because they met Jesus themselves. But it started with her willingness to speak up.”
That’s the mission behind “The Chosen Project.” It is to help people find the courage to speak, and the grace to listen.
As Angie put it, “Stories connect us. They teach, they encourage and they help others realize, ‘Oh, it’s not just me.’ And that can be everything.”
For more information
People can connect with Angie in several ways, including:
- Website = www.angieclayton.net
- Email = angie @ angieclayton.net
- Facebook = www.facebook.com/framingthedays
- Instagram = www.instagram.com/angie_clayton_author
- LinkedIn = www.linkedin.com/in/angieclaytonauthor
