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Sankofa!

 

The Adinkra symbol Sankofa has been heavy on my mind lately. 


The symbol is a bird that flies forward but looks backward. It means "Reach back and fetch it."

Photo credit: Adinkra Corner


How many times were we told that we should not look back, only forward? 

Poets like Lucille Clifton were always "reaching back and fetch it" for great wisdom resides in the past.


When Hurricane Maria struck on 18th September 2017, life as I knew it was over. Instead of celebrating my 25th birthday that year, I was salvaging my belongings. I concentrated on all that was lost. I held grief around my neck and, my waist and I carried it with me for years. When my birthday comes around, so does a great sadness.



Photo credit: Melchior Damu 

 

A few days before my birthday this year, I subconsciously began noticing things that had survived the floodwaters. Like my family, my guitar (which I haven't touched in years), my hot wheels cars, my favorite fountain pen, and my notebooks. I felt like the universe was preaching to me. "Instead of meditating on all you lost, think of all that survived." 


The aftermath of the hurricane is not something I enjoy visiting;  because of the sadness associated with it. But I have been "reaching back and fetching" lately. I have found that grief and joy can exist in the same place and time. Although we had lost so much, we are still here. That is reason enough to rejoice. 


Photo credit: I.am_nah


This year, although depression came, joy abounded more. I found myself surrounded by love and family. Every loss we endured was not in vain. Looking back has its lessons; one of them is understanding that grief and joy can co-exist. I am learning that it is not wrong to mourn what is gone. It is also okay to rejoice for what is here and what is to come. 


What do you need to go back and fetch? Are there any lessons from the past that you need to bring forward?

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Comments

  1. NovieSeptember 27, 2021 at 3:43 PM

    Ahh my love! You are so much light. We tend to look at and focus on so much of what we lost that we often miss the beauty that is all around us. On the topic of looking back that line from Lion King comes to mind when Rafiki told Simba that he can either run from the past or learn from it. I often go back and recall the lessons the from the past and see how much I can apply the wisdom to the present. I pray that one day you will find a sense of peace when you look back. Deep reflections as usual. My love for you runs deep. Mwaah

    ReplyDelete
  2. ErwinSeptember 27, 2021 at 6:47 PM

    It is never wrong to mourn what is lost. If something was never a part of you then you couldn't lose it and therefore there'd be no need for mourning.
    So mourn that you've lost, mourn that was taken from you.
    But this is a tool to let go. And it's also a process.
    Extend forth your light from the darkness of mourning and embrace all that you shine upon.
    Embrace new options, new opportunities, new people and new possessions.
    The past has propelled you to a glorious future, embrace it.

    Remember everything is a process. You are stronger now.

    ReplyDelete
  3. SierrySeptember 28, 2021 at 3:23 PM

    And as always this is epic!

    ReplyDelete

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