They Will Come if You Call Them

This post is a meditation written by an old friend, Steven Charleston. He’s a Bishop in the Episcopal Church and a Native American Elder. I’m including it here because he seems to be in close touch with the world of the Spirit, and finds comfort and wisdom being given him from ancestors no longer with him. Perhaps we also can listen for the love our own ancestors have for us.

“They will come if you call them. Your ancestors will come. From their home far away, beyond the great mountains, beyond the sunset waters, dancing in solemn procession, chanting the old songs, wreathed in sage and juniper, to the sound of the drum they will come. Into the path of the epidemic they will come, unafraid, into hot spots and hospitals, into hearts and homes, bringing life in their open hands, bringing healing and comfort to all they touch, sweeping away sorrow with every step they take. They will come, your ancestors will come, if you call them: for their love is unending and their strength forever unfailing.”

—The Right Rev. Steven Charleston, Episcopal Bishop and Native American Elder