Time with the Grandmothers

Grandmother oak in Houston, Tx

Unspoken bonds, confiancia run deep, like the roots of a tree. They hold fast in your heart as you reach for new experiences always knowing you have a solid place when the storms hit. Like this Grandmother oak I visited in Houston recently; my roots of home, cultura, familia, and created family run deep and hold fast throughout the years. Weathered buy the tough times but still strong and beautiful and growing. A work of art in constant motion, even when it doesn't feel or look like it, its always growing.

With some of us no words are needed, with a head nod you know you can call on them and they will get your back. Or they will call you on your stuff to make you challenge yourself or push you to grow in new directions, with mucho carino. As a child my refuge was in the highest branches, listening, observing and holding on tight. Just me and the elements.

Then there are the bonds of past generations tangled in your roots. The unspoken struggles, battles fought, and things to overcome. Sharp like a machete in the jungle. The ancestors give us many things but today I wonder what to do with it all. Does it all serve me as it did them or am I to take this generational knowing and create something new?

I struggle with how to honor those that came before and those that will follow me. Do I prune to fit or let it grow with wild abandon; the winds of change are blowing with great strength. I am challenged to let go of the places, things, secrets that made me feel safe; safe like a colcha from Grandmothers linen closet.

Con respecto, I feel it may be time to let go. Transform the fierce warrior, never to forget but to fight the battles with love now. My beloved Loba reminded me that sometimes "life out on the skinny branches" can be the blessing you were praying for, you never know unless you take the risk. So I climb out even further and hold tight. I feel the summer heat, strong winds, and soon the storms will come but I know that siempre, my roots run deep and I am ready to grow in new directions.

mil gracias antepasados, tlazocamati