“the same blood that runs through my veins,
ran for centuries before me,
and will continue to live on after me,
each generation passing down their stories,
like a medicine to inspire growth.
(that did, indeed, inspire growth.)“
–e.l. jayne
This is an excerpt from my poem “Generations” on finding gratitude in our heritage.
Did you know that there are about 7,500 generations of modern humans? That’s a lot of great-great-great-grandparents.
Contemplating how much I know of my parents’ lives compared to my grandparents’ lives puts a lot in perspective. So much is lost over just a couple generations. So much has changed over time it’s hard to fathom life back then. Not to mention the 7,498 generations before them.
So what’s passed on from one generation to the next?
Of course genes, predispositions, and instincts, but what about intuition?
What did they cherish most in their lives? What was their motivation that kept them going from day to day?
What lessons did they want to imprint on their children? What were their life goals? How did they want to be remembered?
Did my ancestors struggle with the same dilemmas that I have? Did they stand up for what they believed in?
What were their biggest fears? Mine is not making the most out of life. That in itself says that I have been given a lot of opportunity and privilege. My ancestors biggest fear was probably not getting killed or catching some deadly disease.
Sometimes I feel what I believe to be intuition from generations past. Something someone learned before me. It inspires me that if my ancestors can prevail, then I can, too. No matter how distant our lives are, there are still things passed on over the generations, whether we realize it or not.
What do you wish you knew about your ancestors? Do you think intuition can be passed on from one generation to the next? I’m interested to hear about how different people and cultures connect to their family history.
The full “Generations” poem by E.L. Jayne can be found here: https://wiseandshinezine.com/2020/11/26/to-do-gratitude-and-food/
E.L. Jayne’s poetry blog, Poems & Prose, can be found here: http://www.poemsandprose.travel.blog