Three of my grandparents died during my freshman year in college. I was only just beginning to evolve as a woman and appreciate my roots. I never got a chance to delve deeply into our family’s past. Losing Grandma She-She, Grandpa He-Him and Grandpa Edward was devastating and sent me spiraling into depression. My losses made me reflect on my heritage more closely and it also made me reach out to my only surviving grandparent and work harder to create a bond and express my love. Bonding was never easy for Grandma Laura and me—we were so different and always at odds with one another. But somehow, those differences now seemed small and insignificant. I began to hang out with my grandma. I interviewed her, and together we discovered a stronger love, friendship, hope and a new beginning.

My grandmother Laura and I experienced a “Sankofa” moment—an opportunity to “go back and fetch what was forgotten.” The Sankofa bird is a mythic bird that derives from the Akan people of West Africa. The bird flies moving forward while also looking over its shoulder recalling the past. It also holds an egg in its mouth to symbolize the hope and expectations of the future. It doesn’t matter what we have lost, forgotten or what was stolen—we can reclaim, renew, rediscover and rebirth!

The scripture tells us that everything—not just a few things, but “everything written in the past was written to teach us.” What we learn depends on our willingness to embrace the lessons found in stories about the birth of Christ and stories that may not be so joyful. Every story offers us hope—but what will we do with that egg of hope as we look to our past? We can stay stuck on the indifferences, the hurt, the regrets, and the sorrows. We can also romanticize about the good ole days and live in our distant dreams. Or, we can seize it as an opportunity to move forward, pregnant with hope in tomorrow.

Prayer

God of our weary years and God of our silent tears, help us to see hope in the stories of our past. Impregnate us with the possibilities of tomorrow so that we may lift up every voice and sing. Amen.

Thought for the Day
Go back and fetch it!