Thursday, March 10, 2011

going back to go forward

"Sometimes a person has to go back,

really back --

to have a sense,

an understanding of all that's gone to make them --

before they can go forward."
~Paule Marshall


This is my great Aunt Frances.



Linking up with Imperfect Prose over at Emily's today.

in the hush of the moon

11 comments:

Brian Miller said...

as long as we dont get trapped in the back and truly move forward...nice thought for the day...

Drew said...

True that where we came from has a great impact on who we are today. I'm glad we've broken some very old long chains in growing. Keep the good and throw out the bad. :)

jimi said...

I agree, Brian -- that we truly move forward and don't get stuck.

Kati patrianoceu said...

That's so true. There is something so touching, healing, rooting, about a photo of a loved one that came before us, who we might or might not have known. Your little poem captures exactly how I felt when I first saw a portrait of my grandmother's parents.

Mommy Emily said...

oh, i love this... and i agree with brian too. it's a fine line, this learning who we are, and then realizing who he's called us to be. thank you for this dear friend.

Pam said...

Beautiful.

SL Burlhis said...

What a great photo to go with that quote!

Joybird said...

lovely, warm open face, just lovely. And yes there is a season for digging back, digging up so new growth can be allowed. I think the length of that season depends on, well I don't know exactly what it depends on, but I do think it is a season and the duration individually timed. Just as winter is longer in Canada than in SoCal.

Corinne Rodrigues said...

What a treasure, J. She looks like a lovely lady. Was she a significant person in your life?

jimi said...

Dear Corinne, Aunt Frances is a significant person in our lives now. I think I met her once as a child -- but my mother keeps her alive by telling us her stories. She was my grandmother's older sister in a family with 12 children. She was the cook for the family, the nurturer. I know her when I use her rolling pin to smooth out dough and see her aprons hanging on my wall in the kitchen.

Meryl Jaffe said...

Really nice and so true. In understanding the past, we often have a better sense of who we are. Although, Brian also makes a really good point on how important it is to not get stuck in the past.

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