Blessed By My Elders
All my life I’ve been blessed with elders who served as models of grace, generosity, resilience, and wisdom. They offered “previews of coming attractions” that made me want to hang around long enough to see the whole movie!
I’m now in my early 80s, but I still have revered elders, some in their 90s. One has been a friend and mentor to me since I was 20. With today’s post, I want to honor them—and the many elders who are wintering thru these truly hard times with hope, dignity, and resolve.
Every winter, the stripped-down trees in my neighborhood remind me of the nobility that comes from embracing loss and still reaching for the sky.
Mary Jean Irion has it right: “Stripped of all pretense and embellishment, nothing is there but the tree’s own truth.” That’s the kind of truth that can set us free—especially in this era of deadly lies.
A deep bow to all the elders who are bravely wintering thru, despite feelings of loneliness and being unseen. Thank you for showing us the courage at the core of being human: it is a magnificent sight.
Please know that we see you, we honor you, and we need you.
Parker J. Palmer, [Quote from Mary Jean Irion, “Yes, World: A Mosaic of Meditation,” 1970]
