coming full circle

it is fascinating, when in studying and researching times and dates that your ancestors were born and lived, you realize those times correlate with eras and events you formally only read about in books, or heard about in college lecture halls or television documentaries. most often those eras are still significant to your own life in some form or fashion, and so you begin to wonder: what opinions did my family have about 'that'? how did such events influence their lives?

my third maternal grandfather was james williams. he was born in norfolk, virginia about 1862 which was one year after the start of the united states civil war. that information in itself invokes a whirl of thoughts for me because it causes me to explore our reality-MY reality- in this land in a more in depth and personal manner than i ever used to. indigenous and african stories here have always been of importance to me. however, since i have been BLESSED to find more and more concrete information about my own family via documentation, dna, and knowledgeable people, they have taken on a much more profound meaning to me. i am no longer leaning about 'them', i am learning about ME.

finally, i know my people; my story; my name. i am empowered.

#KnowThySelf and #ToThySelfBeTrue