I heard Spirit whisper and they said…
“When you enjoy life… so do we.
So do I.
When you laugh. So do we. So do I.
When you are sad. So are we. So am I.
When you dance. So do we. So do I.”
… and I realized,
‘”As I dance… they dance.”
We honor our ancestors and our dearly departed by offering them food, flowers, drink, light…all items that are tangible.
We acknowledge them in our sacred spaces, with pictures and representations of their lives.
We pray that they guide us and walk with us.
We honor them in a variety of ways..
but…how many times do we honor them by simply living our lives to the fullest?
That is what they truly desire.
That is what they truly crave.
They yearn to witness us do the things they were never able to do.
To say the things they did not have the voice to say.
To move the way they wished to move.
To think the things they never had the freedom to think.
To learn the things they always wanted to learn.
To go to the places they always wished they could.
To dance the way they always wanted to… openly…and without restriction.
To be completely free… just as they always wished to be.
Feel joy for all the moments they were unable to.
Enjoy life… for them.
Demonstrate that their sacrifices were not in vain.
They provide infinite blessings, when we demonstrate growth and happiness.
When we expand, they expand and live and stretch beyond their spiritual imaginations.
This is the ultimate offering, the ultimate sacrifice, the ultimate demonstration of love.
To those we call Ancestors… call their names not only when you are in prayer.
Call their names when you live life freely, when you sing, when you love, when you dance, when you are happy, when you experience joy.
They heal when we heal. It is simultaneous.
This is what uplifts them and makes them mighty.
They are able to live vicariously through us.. through our accomplishments and our triumphs.
Live… really live, so they can live as well.
Dance… really dance, so they too can dance.
Otá Niwé