For Tacuma

In seven days, one of my best friends would have turned 26 years old. Even though he is not here with me in the physical, his energy greatly influences my choices, decisions and outcomes of situations I encounter on a day-to-day basis.

Today...for the next seven days...for every day that I draw breath, I give thanks for having him in my life.

I'Akobi Tacuma Hembadoon
by Ayesha NuRa - 2008

When we were children and I thought you left me, I cried a lake. Now, years later, my tears have transformed the vibration of the water, swollen it, and the dams have burst, forcing my lake to flow unhindered into a river. And though the river has changed from a raging current to a trickling stream, it leads slowly and softly into the ocean of tears shed by all your loved ones.

At times, it seemed that my daily intake of water could never replenish the water I'd shed over our separation.

And then you returned, to quench my thirst and soothe my soul. To fill my heart with the love and compassion I've grown to expect whenever I feel your presence.

And I realize, if I've ever realized anything in this entire lifetime, that you've never left me. And our bond grows stronger as I grow closer to the Divine and closer to you.

And still, I CRY I. Yet, my tears have been altered. From tears of sorrow and pain and guilt from, "Why didn't I"s to tears of elation because I can feel you in the wind and I see you in the faces of the children I lead. When they ask, "What happened to Uncle I'Akobi?" I can say, "He made a sacrifice so your freedom would be guaranteed."

Because you knew that our spiritual growth was never a want but a desperate need, I see clearly now that you merely planted a seed. A seed that I must now nurture and grow to fruition. A seed of faith, strength, endurance and love. And I must water this seed with exactly what it encompasses to ensure its eternal life and ours.

Love without a limit

"Once there was a tree...and she loved a little boy." This line begins one of the most profound children's stories of unconditional love, penned by Shel Silverstein.

Loving unconditionally should be as natural as inhaling and exhaling. Yet, for a people who have forgotten how to breathe diaphragmatically, it is no surprise that we have forgotten how to love.

Hence, we are now faced with the challenge of re-learning. Renewing the knowledge that our hearts and spirits naturally gravitate toward before we begin to over-analyze everything.

My brother Dje-Sun once said, "When I say, 'I love.', it is the same thing as me saying, 'I law.'" He was speaking about living his life in accordance with the 42 Laws of Maat. In short, him being truthful and just to all those he came into contact with was equivalent to him loving unconditionally.

Unconditional love is not merely the ability of an individual to love another despite all of their differences or despite the perceived faults that another person may possess. It is the ability to do all of the above while seeing yourself in that said individual and in the rest of humanity. To be able to hold yourself and others to the standards that you aim to achieve while being non-judgemental and supportive is truly divine.

Peace

"Strengthening my commitment to love the ocean. ~ Signed, the wave." - NuRa