FootprintsintheWind.com

Our work for the generations spirals us around It, Thou, Us, Poetry, Collaboration. We hold and hear you, grandchild, and together we spiral.

:- Doug.

The task of the elder is in part holding the grandchildren, similar to how a Quaker might say holding you in the light, or others hold you in their hearts, and somehow more immediate and intimate. The elder hears you, hears what is in your essence. The elder welcomes and takes into the elder’s very being who you are, what you are saying.

:- Doug.

“Successful” seems inapropos of elders; there is here no goal, no reaching, only in higher moments a thrust of the heart For the Grandchildren.

:- Doug.

Traditional cultures respected elders in part for what the elders did for the family and tribe: inform of good hunting grounds; share their accumulated agricultural lands; know the signs of the seasons and weather; guide through the spirit worlds. Many of these things seem irrelevant in our rapidly changing world. If we are to help the generations we must cut closer to the bone, go for the lasting and the growing.

:- Doug.

The grandchildren cannot afford for us to be concerned with respect for the elders—we must be for the generations.

:- Doug.

Remembering forward: it is an enigma that puts me off balance. Can we remember for the 300 years grandchild-elder? Can we remember from them to us? More: do we need to converse with them, or enliven them, send love swirling toward them? The latter sounds like a small easy thing, when it requires much thought and more spiritual effort.

:- Doug.

Life favors life
Love favors love
Which is primary?

:- Doug.

Let us remember forward.

:- Doug.

Humans are a culture valuing production; we are not so far from fear that our food will run out.

:- Doug.

One writer’s work enlivens, another’s is barren. Heed, ancestor.

:- Doug.

Still I wonder about communicating, conversing, across the generations. Are there subtle paths? We can at least communicate toward them with letters and writings and recordings. Perhaps longer lasting things like plays and literature and poetry that might get preserved.

Might they converse with us? Well then, do we seek to converse with our ancestors of 300 years ago, in the 1700s? What things did they leave for us to find? Are they listening even now to the opening of some wormhole through time? Have we made the effort?

And what if this effort resulted in us leaping ahead in our sleep tonight?

:- Doug.

I don’t have a lot of energy for this page right now. Perhaps that shows that this journaling takes some energy.

:- Doug.

We owe respect and care to those going ahead of us—whether elders who are dependent on us physically or mentally or those of the 300 year grandchildren generation of elders. Allow them the freedom to go ahead and to explore worlds and paths unknown to us, maybe even to communicate with us surprisingly.

:- Doug.

Modern Magellans show us one road of the withdrawing elder.

:- Doug.

Life changes things.

:- Doug.

Despite physical and mental decline, elders can still teach us what matters.

:- Doug.

We’re not about increasing respect of elders, rather creating a world more hospitable for the grandchildren. Melodies and harmonies, many and varied instruments, dreams and epiphanies, hear and make the music.

:- Doug.

What do we do to bring up elders’ level in society? Many people have not thought about this, so to spring this question of someone unprepared, unawares, is unfair. I need to give some ground on which to start the exploration.

:- Doug.

Must mental incompetence or physical dependence be the end of a human’s value?

:- Doug.

Generativity is an experiment; if it fails, it has still advanced the grandchildren.

:- Doug.

Feed your growth with reading, meditation, contemplation, art, meeting grandchildren.

:- Doug.

Maybe elders are like Jubilee: a wonderful idea never adequately given a go.

:- Doug.

Give the elders names of respect, names not to have but to carry, names to which to add honor, names to later bestow on others.

:- Doug.