What Do We Owe Forward

This morning, as I sat in front of my ancestor altar feeding my youngest grandson breakfast, my thoughts turned to the ancestors more than usual.

There was something about that moment that struck me…the generations gathered together in a way. Those who came before me, myself, and this little person who will carry something of me forward.

Not simply remembering the names and faces of those who came before us, but thinking about what it means that we are here at all.

We do not stand where we stand alone.

We walk on the shoulders of our ancestors, carried forward by their choices, their struggles, their sacrifices, their wisdom, and sometimes even their mistakes.

We are the continuation of stories that began long before us.

And I believe there is a responsibility in that.

To remember them.

To honour what they gave us.

To learn from what they got wrong.

And to live in such a way that those who come after us have something stronger to stand upon.

We are not the end of the line.

We are one link in a chain stretching backward into the past and forward into a future we may never see.

So maybe remembering our ancestors isn’t only about looking behind us with gratitude.

Maybe it is also about looking ahead and asking ourselves:

What do we owe forward?

What will we leave beneath the feet of those who come after us?