Ancestor

A tree grows in Brooklyn and close to you too.  Which do you suppose came first – the tree or the seed?  To reflect upon a seed falling from a tree forming into a tree which produces more seeds to become new trees, is a reflection upon the cycle of life.  What an awe-inspiring cycle it is!  We see this cycle of life manifest itself through all of creation in different amazing ways – the seedling process of birth to life to death to birth to life to…a beautiful cycle of creation.

Although the beginning of the cycle of life for us humans is usually referred to as the point of conception, we often overlook that there was a part of us in our mother and a part of us in our father prior to conception.  And before that, there was a part of us in each of our grandparents and before that our great-grandparents and on and on it goes.  So, where does life actually start and where does it end?

Sometimes it’s easy to look at great-great grandparents or any of our ancestors as separate beings from times long gone by.  But could it be that we were right there in the midst of it back then too?  Even if but a remote twinkle in an ancestor’s eye.  If we look at our ancestors not as separate beings from a long time ago but as our life being experienced through them a long time ago, we start to understand how important history is.  We start to understand how essential it is to unravel mistakes and accomplishments made back then so we can live better in this life we are leading now.  You and I are a part of a multitude of generations before us.  Perhaps not simply as observers but as active participants within these vast generations.

Being in the midst of Covid19 helps us see how intermingled we are as people.  Your breath effects mine.  It always has but a virus helps us to see how uniquely important your breath is to my life – how truly precious it is.  The virus clearly demonstrates how intimately connected we are even at 6 feet apart.  There is no denying that we share the air of this world.  And just like our ancestors shared a part of us – we today share a part of them.  We have an opportunity to use the knowledge today of the numerous generations that live within us from yesteryear.

So, now is the time to gather the inner knowledge we have gained from the experiences of a multitude of generations of trials and tribulations.  Dig deep – use our inner knowledge.  Vote!

 

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Dr. Joan A. Budilovsky

Writer/Harpist/Friend

Joan is also a long-standing Chicago-Area Newspaper Columnist (Yo Joan!).  Her columns are on meditation, yoga and stress reduction – subjects she has studied, taught and practiced for decades.  A former professional musician, she continues to carry music in her heart and harps.  Her Doctorate is in Education from the University of Illinois at Chicago. 

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