Honoring the Ancestors

Well, the holiday is over, and now it's back to the old grindstone.  It was really hard getting up this morning.  It's a long time before another holiday comes along.  Hoping all my Canadian friends had a had a wonderful Canada Day, and my American friends a joyous 4th of July.  Don't know what it was, but this was a very emotional 4th for me.  I was watching the Macy's fireworks on television, and when the song America came on, I found tears rolling down my cheeks.  I know I can attribute part of it to residual effects of the Cancer (home, family, ancestry) Moon (emotions) , Cancer being my rising sign as well,  and they sure to flow freely yesterday.

 I always make sure to do a little something special on July 4th to honor my ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary War, and it was as I was surfing through Find a Grave and placing virtual bouquets on the graves, it hit me that I had read that my 5th great grandfather was buried in a small cemetery now overrun with weeds, his old headstone a shambles.  It reminded me of that last scene in The Gangs of New York where they are standing over the old gravestone,  and Leonardo DiCaprio turns to Cameron Diaz and says, "No matter what they did, for the rest of time, it would be like no one even knew that we was ever here."

And as they walk away, the city grows around them, covers the graves, and it is as if they really were never there.  By far the most powerful closing I have ever seen.

If you could see your ancestors
All standing in a row,
Would you be proud of them?
Or don't you really know?

Strange discoveries are often made,
In climbing the family tree.
Sometimes one is found in line
Who shocks the progeny.

If you could see your ancestors
All standing in a row,
Perhaps there might be one or two
You wouldn't care to know.

Now turn the question right about
And take another view.
When you shall meet your ancestors
Will they be proud of you?

--Author Unknown--

Each of us inherits a legacy from our ancestors. It is part of our birthright. And we leave a legacy for our progeny. It is part of the inheritance we leave behind. Honoring our lineage honors ourselves. It deepens and strengthens our intuition.

Honoring our ancestors is, then, a form of healing. Hanging pictures on the wall or placing them in scrapbooks is one way to honor your ancestors. Visits to a cemetery are another. Wearing or carrying with you an object that has been passed down through the family and even making a recipe that has been handed down is a way of paying respects.  

Hoping you all have a wonderful day.  And for those of  you who have to work, Labor Day is only a little over two months away.