The Moment of Reconnection

When visiting the home of my childhood,
it is inevitable that some visits coincide
with the funerals of those
for whom there is no memory
of not knowing.

Respectful of the grief,
the community gathers
to bless the family. 
Members of the community,
in turn, are blessed
by seeing so many
from yesteryear...
those who mutually delight
in the moment of reconnection
through the sharing of a glance, a smile,
a word, a touch, or an embrace.

Peers and elders;
friends and neighbors;
schoolmates and educators...
for each, life has provided
different experiences and paths,
different hills and valleys.

Fully grounded in the present,
the moment of reconnection blesses
the common experience,
the common path of yesteryear.