Roots

"In every conceivable manner, family is the link to our past and bridge to our future" – Alex Haley

This quote from a Tamarack Institute weekly email got me thinking. There's very little in my life that is more important than my family and I'm constantly in awe of the many gifts they have passed on through the generations. I'm constantly pleasantly surprised at how much it seems I'm putting my feet on a path that is joining my larger family's journey. It's comforting to feel that connection and to validate your place on this pathway. 

I'm the first generation of my Mom's side of the family to not be born in outport Newfoundland. Because it was so close, the values of the outport were what I grew up with. 

It wasn't easy growing up in these towns. The work was hard, the weather was harsh and, beyond a few staples, you needed to provide everything for your family to survive. Growing gardens, catching and salting fish, milking cows and chopping wood were all a part of everyday life. Because things were not easy, you stuck together with those around you. A rising tide truly did lift all boats and everyone worked together to ensure the health of each household and therefore the community. It wasn't what we would call an easy life nowadays, but it was a joyful one. They ate what the land or sea could provide. Sang songs about what they knew. And had a deep understanding of place and how to survive in this one.  

As a child, my Grandparent's brought as many of these values and ways of being to my life. One of these was sticking together. I'm also the first generation of my family not to be brought up literally surrounded by family. I grew up in a house on the same land as my Grandparents as my Mother lived in a house behind my Great-Grandparents while she was a child. 

As we weather these economic times in Alberta, I can't help but look back into my past to help me figure out the way forward. How to stick together. How to let the place and past wisdom lead you to sustainable solutions. How to let simple things bring you joy and happiness. It's one of my ways of honouring my roots and still feeling rooted in that place while I am so many thousand kilometres away.