ANGELA JACKSON-BROWN
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When We Become Elders

9/29/2013

10 Comments

 
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It has been nine years since my daddy died. Nine years! I can’t believe it sometimes. There are mornings when I will wake up and reach for the phone to call him and then realize – he’s  gone. Oh, I know all of the things we tell ourselves. ”He’s not really gone. He still lives in you.” I hear the words, but the bottom line is, sometimes I just want a hug from him. Sometimes I want to hear his wisdom. Sometimes I don’t want to be the one who has to have the answers. I actually remember when Daddy was my age. I was a little girl. He seemed so much older and wiser than I feel at this same age. He wasn’t without fault, but when it came to my questions, he seemed to know everything. Daddy, why is the sky blue? Daddy, what does God’s voice sound like? Daddy, how far is it to the end of the universe?

Of course, he didn’t have answers to questions like those, but he had a way of explaining things to my young childish mind that I was satisfied to not wonder anymore about things that were not easily explained – at least for a time. I fear that I do not have that same ability he had. Sometimes, my sons will turn to me for wisdom and insight and all I want to do is ask my daddy to tell me what to say to them. Sometimes I think about my future grandchildren and I wonder, what life lessons can I impart to them to help them become stronger – braver? I don’t know. And that scares me at times. I want to be their rock. I want to be their guiding hand. I pray that when that day comes, instinctively, I will know what to do and say.

A few days ago I spoke to my Aunt Lenora on the phone, and she said she was the last living member of her side of the Jackson family. I heard within her voice the fear and the loneliness of being the last elder standing in a long line of amazing people. As the matriarch of our family, we expect Aunt Lenora to always be brave and fearless. We expect her to always be knowledgeable about every question we might have. Yet, we forget. Like the rest of us, she was a little girl once who looked up to the heroes and she-roes in our family. She ran around outside and played with her siblings and cousins. She sat in front of her mother, the woman we lovingly called Big Mama, and asked her all of the questions little girls ask their mamas. She ran behind her daddy, Daddy Red, and hung on to his every word. Now, she must be the elder of our family. I know at times it must be overwhelming to be the one everyone comes to for answers. My conversation with her allowed me to have a greater understanding of what it really means to be an elder. Elders are wise, but they are also vulnerable, just like the rest of us.

We sometimes take for granted that when we reach some magical age we will be wise and ready to face anything life might send our way. But the older I get, the more I realize, we are all still just babes. Our hair might show white strands of wisdom, but when it is all said and done, no matter what our ages, we still crave someone to be just a little wiser than we are. We want those loving arms of someone older to wrap us up in an embrace that says, “Don’t worry. I’ve got you.” We want those things when we are seven and we want it when we are seventy-five.

I miss those days when my daddy was able to solve all of my problems with a reassuring look and a full-on loving hug. I pray my children and grandchildren will feel that safety I always felt in my daddy’s embrace. I hope that, in me, they will find some of the same traits I found in the the elders who helped to raise me to be the woman I have become.


10 Comments
Sandy L McDaniel
9/29/2013 05:26:11 am

Very good. Yes I've see the fear and uncertainty in my Grandmothers before they passed away. It's not only the wisdom but the everyday conversations that I miss most from them. Good job!

Reply
Angela Jackson-Brown link
9/29/2013 05:29:12 am

Thank you so much, Sandy! Their memories will never die as long as we all keep remembering them. Take care and have a great day.

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Steve Haley
9/29/2013 07:56:16 am

wonderfully done and very thought-provoking I read a blog some years ago about an elderly man who was thought to be old and mean. He just desired to be called by his first name. He had out lived all his family and friends and everyone called him Mr. So and so.

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Angela Jackson-Brown link
9/29/2013 07:59:35 am

Thank you for sharing that story, Steve. Yet another aspect of growing older I had not thought about.

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Libby Filiatreau
9/29/2013 12:01:36 pm

My parents and all of their siblings are gone and have been for some time. I guess that's not too surprising since I'm the youngest of eight and my mother died when I was nineteen years old. I have lived so much of my life missing her - wishing she was there when my babies were born, when I went through my divorce, so many times. But it's not her wisdom I miss so much as her simple presence and her unwavering love. As I inch closer and closer toward Matriarch status, I am comforted by knowing that, as lacking as I am in wisdom, I can be there. I can love with my whole heart. And so can you.

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Angela Jackson-Brown link
9/29/2013 12:16:31 pm

What a kind, thoughtful comment, Libby. It is nice to know that we all share similar journeys and we can encourage each other along the way.

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Steve Isaac
9/30/2013 04:34:38 am

It's odd how I lived with my Mom from age 6-on but it was always my Dad who was in my dreams and thoughts all my life. They had an amicable divorced relationship, for which we three kids were deeply blessed. They both left about 10 years ago and it seems I miss them most when I ACHIEVE something I know they both yearned to see.

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Angela Jackson-Brown link
9/30/2013 05:37:33 am

Steve, I so know what you are talking about. Robert and I were talking about how much we would like to share my adventures in publishing with his mother and my dad. Both were so supportive when they were alive. I am so sorry about your loss. Hang in there. Thank you for sharing.

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Tollie Thomas
10/1/2013 05:30:45 am

I remember my parents, grandparents and even a sister gone now. We take for granite those things when we are young, and when we grow older we wish we could turn back the hands of times. My mother was a strong woman, she had to be, she had 11 children, all different, all needing something. And depending on which one of us it was, she was able to give something. I have five grand kids and when I feel like I don't know what to do, I go to God in prayer. Mistakes will be made, but Love will cover that too. Thanks Angela

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Angela Jackson-Brown link
10/1/2013 10:52:11 am

Tollie, you are so right. Thank you for your incredible insight.

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  • HOME
  • BOOKS
    • Untethered >
      • Sample Chapter-UNTETHERED
    • Homeward >
      • Syllabus for HOMEWARD
    • The Light Always Breaks - A novel
    • When Stars Rain Down - A Novel
    • Drinking From A Bitter Cup - A Novel
    • House Repairs - Poetry
  • AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
  • INVITE ANGELA TO SPEAK
  • MEDIA KIT
  • CONTACT