Wisdom Bearers

I have long felt that one of our greatest unused resources is our elderly whose wisdom, based on their life experiences, often go unheeded and /or dismissed… viewed often as not worthy of attention, irrelevant, or out of touch. Hence, the opportunity to learn the true meaning of life from those who lived a unique life go begging for lack of appreciation. I was surrounded by “Wisdom Bearers “during my early years of growing up in Lowndes County, Alabama. In my maternal grand parents’ share cropper home I quickly learned the dos and don’ts of life from my great grand mother ( a former slave) an aunt (Louise), and of course my grandparents, June and Kizzi Hales. Initially, many of their expressions were puzzling to me , however, they have served as my guideposts...helping me in addressing life's challenges and opportunities . As a matter of fact, a few of their wisdomatic sayings remain with me today: “Be still and listen’, It’s cloudy today, but the sun gonna shine tomorrow; A hard head makes a soft behind; Listen to old people, they can make a crooked road straight; Keep moving forward and don’t ever look back; A bird in hand is worth two in the bush." As I am now an elder I frequently find myself directing young people to some of the same wisdom expressions that I heard during my early years of life from my elders. My respect for elders is ever- present in all that I do. For example, in all of my educational leadership positions , I never hesitated to bring wisdom bearers before my students, staff , and parents. And fortunately for me, I usually had, whether at work or travel, my camera with me to photograph the elders that I encountered. Here are a few of them. BE WELL.