Wrapped about us
like a glove
invisible through our eyes
Yet, essential to our being
Certain.
“As familiar as the back of my hand”
It is ours.
Irrevocably.
In some cultures, the language
reflects this knowing, this awareness of self and other.
I grew up in such a culture.
Not by nationality,
language or dialect
Not by accidental happenstance,
but by intent and design.
By those who came before me in my family.
From my mother’s family,welll before I arrived, the family spoke ‘Quaker’ or, ‘familiar’ English
I grew up in a familiar world of ‘thee’ and ‘thy’ and an unfamiliar world of ‘you’ and ‘yours’
As I watch the evolution of this family tradition, for there is no better way I can rightly describe it,
I see a wonderful dynamic unfolding occur
It was not of my making
Yet it is as close to me as breath
It has become my way
and through me
the way of the my children
as it moves in its ongoing way interlocking siblings, nieces, nephews, cousins and others in our ‘familiar’
It is a fascinating tapestry
weaving each new member in the family of this voice
this language of choice
across generations
marriages
new children
parents and grandparents
It has a magic and a power all its own
This blood connection of those who hold each other close
Emotional and sympathetic
entanglements
It breathes and moves and ebbs and flows of its own accord
Somehow, language of the familiar binds energy together in this family
A resilient, strengthening and mutually empowering chord of connection and belonging
Knowing and acceptance
Reinventing our language
as was done for my us by our grandparents and great grandparents has powerful and substantial rewards and benefits
Whether within families
or communities,
the power of the familiar
acknowledged and recognized
and its underlying potential for power may serve us all well
What the familiar gives us is a sense of knowing A sense of what and who we are and within what contexts we are that and why – it gives us meaning, in its barest sense
Without it we are adrift on a sea of useless emotion and directionless searching, lost forever to trying to find our place int eh world with no compass of meaning to guide us
With it, we are armed, able and willing to take on the risks that life must offer us if we are to grow and flourish
Contemplate your familiar
Choose your language
Reinvent the meaning and language you use to express and engage in the now reality of your life
And remember
Familiar does not mean static and it never meant without change It is always in motion, that is its power and beauty
