roots......

a few cousins.........

We have the capability to put down roots wherever we want, and whenever we feel a sense of connectivity to a community. I don't think they ever replace previous roots, though sometimes for some, the chosen roots may be stronger than the roots originally provided by ancestry and family. For others, familial roots continue to take precedence throughout a person's life. The foundation remains, the sense of belonging to a clan feeds their identity.

Some roots grow deep and wide, where others' roots are closer to the surface. They always help us feel a sense of belonging, a feeling of significance. No matter how stridently independent one may live their life, if we don't feel a sense of belonging.......to a family, to a church, to a group of friends, to a community, to a local group...... we stumble along disconnected, without meaning.

"I belong here. I know where I fit," they speak......."I will provide the ingredients to help you chart your life course....."

On the weekend, I had a chance to catch up with my Aunt who had just returned from a trip to Scotland with her husband. Her inner purpose was to add a couple of pieces of her roots puzzle by learning more of her father, my grandfather who had died when she was only 16 years old. It was an important step for her, like many others who want to grab hold of some knowledge of the past to have a clearer picture of who they are as an individuals.......to see and feel for themselves the beginning of the roots.

There aren't many in my family who could correctly envision the places she visited or the people she spoke to......in fact, it is just me and my parents. Out of the large family living in Canada, we are the only others who have walked the streets, and met some of the extended family who live in an area called Lanarkshire. So, when my Aunt spoke of her cousin and her family........when she mentioned the landmarks of the area.........when she talked of how she felt visiting the streets where her father grew up, and where his sister lived (which is where we had both stayed at different times years ago........) I was right there with her, remembering how I had felt too surrounded by roots.

Like my Aunt, who had initially visited Scotland 30+ years ago, it had been a profoundly moving experience for me.......it was like learning where your blood flowed from. Though it has been over 20 years since I was there, the people and the place remained with me.

Henri Nouwen writes about remembering the people who have died before us as a way of keeping them in our hearts...."remembering them means letting their spirits inspire us in our daily lives. They can become part of our spiritual communities and gently help us as we make decisions on our journeys......" I can relate to his reflections.....our roots which are tied to family and friends affect our choices and our direction more than we realize. Not only that, it profoundly impacts how we see ourselves and how we define ourselves. By taking the time to remember our ancestry, we can develop a better understanding of how we tick, and why.

Awareness.......of ourselves through the lives of others who have touched us directly and indirectly through our roots offer us a chance to be more fully aware of what makes us tick.

I don't know whether she is satisfied with the amount of information she gleaned from spending time with her cousin looking over the family Bible, and touring the area. She needs time to sift through her thoughts and the conversations she had. What was apparent to me while listening to her enthusiasm was that she was offered a few glimpses of her father when he was a young man. Those glimpses not only added pieces to her roots puzzle, but it may have answered a few questions about his youthful motivations and his personality. Because her memory of him is sketchy after all these years, revisiting her roots sharpened the picture for her. She also has a bigger picture of where she fits.......where she belongs.

New awareness brings new perceptions.....

Roots. It seems like a theme of sorts this summer.........