EMBRACING SANKOFA, TAKE HEART & GIVE FLIGHT TO HOPE!

 Visited African American Art: Harlem Renaissance  Exhibit, Author Linda Mose Meadows 

standing in front of Sankofa Sculpture @ Mennello Museum of Art America (Orlando, FL.)

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.

The LORD is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed.

Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed them also, and lift them up for ever. Psalm 28:7-9

As I wrote in my 2013 “Intentional” Gratitude Journal this morning, I was prompted to chronicle what extraordinary sights, lively sounds, and engaging heart conversations that the preceding two days held. And then this morning in devotion and prayer I thought of the pewter cup my Mother had given Mike as a present. I believe she acquired this unique children’s cup from one of her many museum visits.  (It’s a keepsake now :-) some twenty plus years ago.  Imagine, he was a toddler and beginning to drink independently from his beloved multicolored “sippy” cup that rocked and wobbled when placed on a flat surface. I can still see him wide eyed, smiling, gazing at his coveted cup. But then he was given an upgrade of sorts. The upgrade was a single handle instead of two and heavy enough so that there was no spillage, unless deliberate!  The present of a heavy pewter cup could be easily gripped with toddler’s hands. This attractive pewter cup had the alphabet with the pronounced, raised block letters-A through Z.  Our son drank from that cup freely and began to demonstrate his preference-reaching for that cup more often instead of the “sippy” cup. My Mother and I enjoyed watching him freely reach for this prized possession. I’d like to think that as I recount the many gifts of gratitude-thanksgiving for the museum visits, impromptu breakfasts with friends, walks in the park, heavenly breezes and watching the neighborhood lakes rippling waters and experience Florida life, it’s all a gift from God like Mike’s Pewter cup. These experiences are new, but the old memories of our former life are very present. But I have to have a spirit that earnestly embraces and has a heart to not only celebrate today but reflect and learn from  yesterday’s seasons of hope, missed steps, blessings, some which seemingly slipped away, stamina regained, heart aches, hardships too-but resilience regained. 

It’s no mistake, misnomer that our activities would include our touring the African American Art: Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights Era & Beyond Exhibit at The Mennello Museum of Art located in Orlando, Florida. It wasn’t happenstance to exit the building and see the orange Sankofa sculpture. And in one of my favorite colors! It confirms for me that God orders our steps. I said to my husband, "Oh look that's Sankofa, please take a photo of me standing next to this sculpture!" I reminded him of what I learned about Sankofa. And surely the Holy Ghost had a lesson in store for me as well. The  word  in the Akan language of Ghana means taking from the past what was good and bringing it into present- applying that knowledge/revelation to make progress moving in a positive direction. Learn more about this by visiting this website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sankofa  

Two of the Adinkra symbols in the Ghanaian culture which also express Sankofa are the heart and the bird:

 Return and get it, learn from the past 

Sankofa Bird street painting in Kumasi, Ghana

So my friends, I believe that God desires us to take heart and give flight to hope, promise and possibility!  Surely the present issues of the day can't be overlooked but there's so much good in store for us! If only we  adopt an out look, a positive example provided made by our present and former elders, ( i.e. the Shunammite woman who said, “Everything is all right!” 2 Kings 4:26)- we are moving in a new direction. The way has been pointed out for us! Note that those words of  "Everything is alright!" spoken with conviction, spilled into the atmosphere during a most disparaging time. And if we believe in the midst of ____________ ( you fill in the blank) it will be alright! Why won’t it be just that, alright? Look back  like the Sankofa Bird and recount that our yesterday's taught us many things, many life lessons with the heart and soul to move forward! Yes, to move forward with the knowledge that God is not a respecter of social status or pedigree!  We can confidently tuck those lessons in our heart, do a new thing in Him-the Almighty and take and learn from that which is beneficial and fear not. We have …. faith to see the impossible, faith to visualize, faith to yearn and hunger for anew, and faith to appreciate the manifestation! Stand on your spiritual tippy toes and see it. reach for it, grab it-awe there it is!

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 

2 Timothy 1:7

Lord thank you for the reminder of Sankofa! Like our Elders we too can drink from the spiritual cup of eternal life, fortified and be sustained because God is our help and our strength yesterday, today and tomorrow! Pass the cup y'all! Pass the love!

God’s Riches Blessings to You,

Linda Mose Meadows, Author of:

The Blessedness of Believing A Devotional Journey of Life’s Lessons and God’s Promises 

http://blessednessofbelieving.blogspot.com/

http://blessedauthorlm.wordpress.com/

http://eyesoffaithmagazine.blogspot.com/