Tuesday, June 21, 2011

The Legacy of Mothers


Monday, October 18, 2010 at 2:53am


Up in the middle of the night with insomnia. Haunted by sadness and loss. I found myself watching the one channel that I could stand. PBS. A documentary came on about an elephant named Echo. A great matriarch who had died. The narrative that went along with the documentary was so well written. So poignant, that it made me think of my own mother. Made me think of my own loss. Made me think of how now was the time for me to demonstrate my knowledge of the lessons that my mother had spent an entire lifetime trying to impart to me. Holding a space for my own greatness. My mother loved me immensely.  

What is the legacy that Echo was passing on? To her own family? And to the people who loved her?At her death from old age at 65, will Echo's immense experience gained by her forebears over centuries, be lost to her family?...The final test of a matriarch, is *how well* she passes on that knowledge. Her family has lost a strong leader and a wise mother. What lasting gifts has she given her children? Will they remember her lessons? The glands at their temples stream with emotion. Echo guided this family for almost half a century...Now they face their greatest challenge -without her.

No comments:

Post a Comment