remember (verb): Middle English: from Old French remembrer, from late Latin rememorari ‘call to mind’, from re- (expressing intensive force) + Latin memor ‘mindful’.
What is it that we choose to remember?
Childhood memories, friends and family who make us laugh and smile, life’s milestones filled with love…
or how a person wronged us, cut us off in traffic, said something that hurt.
maybe it’s a mish-mash of both… ‘cause life can be messy that way.
Let’s come back to our definition of peace: right relationships with self, others, and the Earth… what is it that we remember that brings us into this space. What if what we remembered was nothing listed above… and was everything that connected us to the Earth… and each other.
Remember by Joy Harjo
Remember the sky that you were born under,
know each of the star’s stories.
Remember the moon, know who she is.
Remember the sun’s birth at dawn, that is the
strongest point of time. Remember sundown
and the giving away to night.
Remember your birth, how your mother struggled
to give you form and breath. You are evidence of
her life, and her mother’s, and hers.
Remember your father. He is your life, also.
Remember the earth whose skin you are:
red earth, black earth, yellow earth, white earth
brown earth, we are earth.
Remember the plants, trees, animal life who all have their
tribes, their families, their histories, too. Talk to them,
listen to them. They are alive poems.
Remember the wind. Remember her voice. She knows the
origin of this universe.
Remember you are all people and all people
are you.
Remember you are this universe and this
universe is you.
Remember all is in motion, is growing, is you.
Remember language comes from this.
Remember the dance language is, that life is.
Remember.
This word, “remember”… steeped with value and context… holding on to personal memories, some good and others not so. Walking that fine line between wanting to forget the past and the fear that all will be forgotten…
Remember that those connections to self, others, and the Earth… that we are of the universe and to listen to the wind… she remembers all of time, from the beginning.
and the plants… they are alive poems…
Peace nugget #17
Oh, this poem. When I’m feeling a bit disconnected and lost, I return to this poem. It reminds me of what matters… that connection with others and the Earth. We are of the Earth. This understanding, or way of being has faded away in today’s dominant culture. We are disconnected. And remembering these connections is vital for peace…
to live in reciprocity with the others and the Earth.
Give and take
what’s good for you is good for me
yin and yang.
Remember…
What line in the poem by Joy Harpo moved you?
Why?
Other
The order of the photos is intentional. Note the ability to see the detail in the first photo and how our view expands out as we progress. The final photo is taken standing outside the hen house looking down the road. Over time, our ability to recall details lessens, our perspective shifts, and how we approach our interactions with others may alter based on these changes. For better or for worse.
I want to be very clear that this post is not about age-related cognitive decline nor neurological conditions (e.g., Alzheimer’s, Parkinsons). My intent is not to stir up feelings of how we can’t remember things like we used to. Rather, my wish is to bring us to a place of reconnecting with the Earth as an element of peace.
If you have the time, please read the comments from previous days. So much wisdom being shared, additonal resources, and words of encouragement for those of you who are grieving the loss of a loved one, undergoing medical treatment, or caring for a loved one with an illness. Lots of inspiration in the comments. Thank you.