Appalachian Elegy (section 1), bell hooks
Meditation
From suffering grows strength, from grief grows new life. It is our ability to learn from our past and commit to a brighter, more just future that distinguishes humankind. What legacies have been passed along to you to examine? How do you determine when to uphold tradition and when to change the course of the legacies you’ve inherited? How do you hold tender this land; and what are you building, rock upon rock, to leave it better than you found it? As new growth emerges from the past, what does the fragrance of hope hold for you?
Brianna Curran, Washington, DC
