Honoring memories

Hi Everyone,

Happy New Year! I enter 2025, reflecting on what it means to honor memories.

I've always been interested in the stars and the world above. Some of my earliest childhood memories involve me staring up at the sky in wonder. I remember asking my parents for a telescope because I wanted to know more about the sky.

When I was younger, my mom and I sat by our window looking out into the sky to observe a lunar eclipse and we made a promise to watch the next eclipse together. We never had a chance to fulfill that promise because she passed away. As the years passed, that memory was forgotten or maybe buried and I lost my enthusiasm for eclipses, until I saw a partial solar eclipse in 2017. In that moment, I decided to honor that memory of us sitting in the window by seeing the next total solar eclipse to pass over the contiguous United States. So in April 2024, I went to Hot Springs, Arkansas with a friend and saw the total solar eclipse in the middle of a nature preserve. It was healing to fulfill the promise. Even though my mother wasn't there, she was there in spirit, and a chapter closed. That day, I decided to embark on a new story, chase more total solar eclipses, and forge new memories.

Throughout life, I've oscillated between logic and faith about the spirit world. Some years, I lean heavily into the cosmology of my ancestors and others years I question the validity of experiences. I remember one day telling a friend about a mystical experience I had and I was questioning if it was malevolent to have such signs and symbols come to me and she asked "well do they ever steer you in the wrong direction? Have they ever harmed you?" and when I answered "no", I realized -to paraphrase Toni Morrison- "that this world is enchanted and the memory of our ancestors are always with us even if we try to forget. Our ancestors are benevolent guides and spirits who are always in touch."

I think it's the tension between me being a storyteller and a strategist. Part of me loves to live in the land of imagination and creativity, but other parts of me loves to live in the land of research and proof. But when I listen to Toni Morrison's interview about her writing, she shares that it's important to navigate an "enchanted world, artistically and strategically" and to have a "comrade experience with spirits." (her discussion on memories and ancestors begins from 18 minutes to the end of the interview).

What are memories, but ideas persisting over time and space. 2024 was a year of memories for me:

• I don't know how it connects and maybe, I will never know, but anytime, I go down a rabbit hole to research concepts for building out my frameworks, I always return back to concepts of navigation and wayfinding, particularly as it relates to Polynesian culture. By chance, in March 2024, I went to Hawaii and visited a family friend and felt so comfortable on the island that my admiration for Polynesian culture strengthened. I don't know yet what it means to continue to stumble upon wayfinding and Polynesian culture, but some memory is pushing through and I will honor the information when that time comes.
• I just finished reading the book Love and Whiskey by Fawn Weaver and I was inspired by her passion to honor the memory of Nearest Green, a master whiskey distiller who taught Jack Daniels the art of whiskey making. She not only took the story of Nearest and turned it into a profitable business, but she also created other pathways for his memory to continue - from educational scholarships for his descendants to purchasing land to push forward economic growth for the community. It was a great reminder that sometimes you can honor a memory even if it's not a direct ancestor.
• Memories, often come to me in dreams. I recently had a dream of a bright yellow book that I needed to read and when I woke up, I went to my bookshelf and grabbed the book I saw in my dream. Reading the book Afrofuturism was a perfectly timed reminder that consciously or subconsciously futurism guides my work.
• Today, I'm honoring the memories of all the Haitian revolutionaries that fought to ensure liberty. Since last month, I've been revisiting the Revolutions podcast (season 4) to learn more about the Haitian Revolution, which is a fascinating history that everyone should know. I'm always able to push forward through life because I am guided by the collective spirit of the revolutionaries whose memories push through me and give me the strength to come up with ideas. Happy Independence Day to Haiti.

What does it mean to you to honor memories?

*** Dr. Lisa-Marie

P.S. I wanted to test out a new section. Not sure where I will place it just yet, but I want it to be a QTNA (questions that need answers) section. I might be a keeper of memories, or a librarian of sorts, because I often get asked questions about resources or information. And for whatever reason, I'm pretty good at finding answers. Often times though, I give the answer to just one person, but I feel that most answers are widely applicable. The best example I have of me taking a QTNA and sharing it widely is the Intellectual Will journal, which stemmed from a question asked of me about getting organized.

So for January, I'm going to share a reading list. A friend asked me if I could I could send them my book recommendation list. They were looking to read for recreation, they liked fiction, autobiographies, and the book Americanah. I don't have a book recommendation list (should I?), but I did decide to curate a list based on their interest. Enjoy.