“Let us celebrate together in love;
that as we travel away, we take with us
the memory of golden hours together among the flowers.”
-Elizabeth M. Strong
Whose memory do you hold close to your heart today?
Sankofa
“The Akan tribe in Ghana has a word, Sankofa, symbolized by a bird with its head turned around to take an egg from its back. The Sankofa heron illustrates a Twi proverb: se wo were fi na wosankofa a yenkyi. Translated, it says, “It is no sin to go back and fetch what you have forgotten.” I’ve adopted the practice of spiritual reconnection with my ancestors to heal intergenerational trauma….” -Jabari S. Jones
What have your ancestors left for you to go back and reclaim?
Forgiveness
“Forgiveness is connected to memory and time. It asks us to engage our feelings about something in the past in order to change our experience in the present, and move into the future. Forgiveness is an act of vulnerability – both from the one seeking forgiveness and the one offering it – as it reveals the risks of trying to love in an imperfect world.”
-Gretchen Haley
Take a risk of forgiveness.
Music of Memory
“In an instant I’m eight years old again. I can smell the hot Café Bustelo percolating in the tiny pot on my grandmother’s stove while she plays cards with my grandfather and his childhood best friend from Argentina. Music starts to play while my aunts and uncle move the furniture so they can dance. In mere moments the living room becomes transformed into a space of expression, celebration, and connection.” -Katie Romano Griffin
Today, play some music or feel the pulse of a rhythm that transports you to a place of wonderful memory.
Commitment
“So prepare now, for when we break one another’s hearts. Know what will carry you through that, and know who will carry you through that. Be ready. Hold on to this moment, and this memory, for that time in the future when you are ready to turn away.” -Liz James
How has your heart been broken today?