You are my Sister and my Brother: How We Are Alike

written by IandI Moonshone 2000© All Rights Reserved

WE are not so different, we just have unique perspectives and preferences.

If you are still thinking you are not like me, let's allow reflection on our views.

We began life as our fathers' seedling, planted in the fertile grounds of our mothers, swimming in wombs, nurtured by our parents' emotions, hungry for nourishment of food prepared in dishes, roasted over fires, and harvested from the gardens. Our health solely relied upon the choices our parents made about food, environment, expression, beliefs, and physical movements.

Some of us grew healthy, and some of us did not, and we are still alike.

Our tiny bodies grew from the size of a pea into a newborn infant. We grew limbs of arms with hands and fingers to reach out to one another. We grew limbs of legs with feet and toes so we would chase after our dreams. Our bodies grew heads with eyes, mouth, hair, noses, ears, and a brain communicating our thoughts and feelings. Although, not everyone formed these extremities completely, the desire to reach out to one another, to chase after dreams, and to communicate feeling and thoughts motivates all of us.

As Infants, we took our first breaths, we nursed and nuzzled with our mothers, we felt warmth and comfort in the cradled hugs of family, we focused with our new eyes recognizing sights, we sang with our first breath and we cried, we laughed, we listened with our new ears to recognize familiar sounds, we grew stronger with love, we set our goals to be more independent, we crawled, we grew wiser, and taller.

As toddlers, we experimented, we talked with our first voice, we felt the four winds rushing around us as we ran, we swung with delight into the clouds, we climbed the stairs of our youth, we floated in the pools of cool water, we giggled with unabashed laughter, we were comforted by our favorite book or toy for hours, we communicated our emotions without regard of effects, we loved with no exceptions.

As we grew into our school age, we began to learn the rules of interaction. We found that we had new responsibilities, we began to spend time away from our homes and families, we became more independent. Some did not attend public schools, some did not attend private schools, some were educated at home, some traveled far for school, some of us rode a school bus, some of walked to school, and some of us were not allowed in school. Yet, we all came to this experience of interaction with others at a very young age. Could these early impressions be the pattern of your interactions today? We made friends, we made adventures, we tried to live out our fantasies, this was our only preoccupation, to form our inner selves.

As teens, we searched endlessly for a path to walk, we tried many hats to see which fit, we felt our hearts crush when a beautiful person was nearby, we struggled to be an adult, we looked goofy one year and blossomed the next, we experienced adventures that would last a lifetime, we achieved aspirations, we held on to our youth, we explored the small world around us, we longed for the adventure of the unknown, and we struggled to be who we were becoming.

Some of us finished school, some of us began to work, some of became parents, and some of us began to drive cars.

As Young Adults, we were bold, we were beautiful, we were reckless, we were making our own decisions, we were selfish, we were broke, we were clueless about how to take care of ourselves, we were on the biggest adventure of our young lives.

Some of us fell in love, and some fell out of love. Some of us went to college, and some of us created our own education. Some of us traveled far, and some of us stayed at home a little longer.

We were making decisions, and were learning about our choices.

As Adults, we made decisions we had to live with, and, often, life made decisions for us. We voted, we made conscious choices, we made habits, we built our lives in homes, we pursued our interests, we connected with communities, we took on many responsibilities, and we made goals for our future. Some of us became professionals, some of us became jack of all trades, some of us became parents and grandparents, and some of us saw our parents pass into the spirit realm. Some of us took health seriously, and still others gambled with it.

As Elders, we were wiser by our lives, we were less concerned with acquiring, we took long looks at our spirit, we reflected on our families, we became concerned with our mortality, we could see the effects of our decisions, we could tell stories that wise children would listen to, and we were comfortable with the lives we built.

Some of us lived long into a century, and some of us just made it past the halfway.

Some of us were healthy, some of us were ill.

All of us will pass on.

What will your legacy be?

Do you know you are my sister? Do you know you are my brother?

We are made of a common thread, we share the essence of each other's worlds, and we live long full lives. WE ARE ALIKE, and yet, we are very different, too.