Respected Elders

I am very often among people, more often than what I care for actually. Silly as it may seem, I am not a people’s person. I find it difficult to socialize with people I don’t know and normally end up spending the night in my own company.  Last night we went to a Muslim friends house to celebrate Eid with them. Of course there was mountains of food and we were given take aways. But that was not the significant thing about the evening. What struck me was the close bond that these people share. How grateful they are/were for everything.  How much love, time and respect they have for each other.

Shukran and Afwan are two of the words that I heard the most last night. Yes I have always known what they mean but really to see these people mean what they say was truly beautiful. For those of you that don’t know, Shukran means ‘Thank you’ and Afwan means ‘it’s a pleasure’

We sat at the table and I have this little ritual that I do before I eat. I think of one thing that I am grateful for. Last night before I ate I was grateful for the fact that I have Muslim friends so that I may experience that closeness that I did. 
As western white people we tend to dismiss the elderly and senile. One of the Aunts there last night is a very old woman who has in the last year become riddled with Alzheimer’s disease. And I know that in our culture people will steer clear of her, talk behind her back and stare, My Goddess people love to stare and it is such a rude thing to do.  Even at Paul’s family gathering people did it to their own Granny. While she sat in the corner and you could see that she had no idea, where she was, who these people were and why she was there. It tore my heart open and I just wanted to cry.

This old lady last night was talking to everyone and everyone entertained her. She was the old crone. Senile and riddled with Alzheimer’s, she sometimes spoke very wisely and other times she spoke the biggest load of bullshit, but no one dismissed her. No one put her aside or out of the way. No one made fun of her and people respected her for being a matriarch. It was profound.

I want to thank you two for allowing myself and Paul to be in your beautiful home and to be present at such a sacred day.

Shukran Yasmin, Shukran Soraya.

I try to go to as many different cultural and religious gatherings as what I possibly can, when I get invited of course. Our cleaning lady at work, an African woman that is busy doing her Sangoma training, has now told me that when I want I must let her know and she will take me with to one of her gatherings. I look forward to it yet I am anxious as I do not know what to expect or what will be expected of me but that is part of the experience. So in the near future I am off to the people that cared for our Mother Africa, long before we set our feet on these lands, to experience their way of life, to learn from them and to hopefully grow a little wiser in the process. I will be sure to tell you all about it.

Mwah