UBUNTU, I AM BECAUSE WE ARE

After several years filled with emotional events, celebrations and struggles I recognized the significant role women play in a family and the strength they bring to the stability of the family tree.

Through my roller coaster ride that I call life, I know I can count on these women for sharing laughter, tears, and a hand up, or at times a push forward, but always, always, love and encouragement.

There is an African Philosophy which describes this called Ubuntu.
It means- I am because we are.

The  women of a family work together like the stitches in a quilt.  Each stitch is unique-some long, some short, some tightly pulled, some more relaxed, but each add their own character to the patchwork, creating strength that helps all of life's experiences to make sense.
Ubuntu, I am because we are.

Years ago the Hunt family formed a gathering called the Women's Annual Rejuvenating Montage.  The acronym WARM was formed. Invitations were sent, a logo was created and the t-shirts were made.

The WARM Guiding Principles are simple.  A member must be a woman at least 18 years old
 AND
a direct descendant of my mother;
married to her direct descendant;
or given birth to one of her direct descendants.
Ubuntu, I am because we are. 

WARM was created for the women following my mother to rejuvenate, relax and continually nurture the bond we share. Our montage is the juxtaposing of diverse personalities into a single element of commonality. 

We have learned to understand each other, and ourselves, better as we discover our own shared human qualities and how we all fit in relation to our quilted family.

During these gatherings we are willing to share, willing to be vulnerable, and willing to affirm and accept each other as a part of the whole.
Ubuntu, I am because we are.

This tradition will continue past our lifetimes and for generations to come.  The Ubuntu belief is that our ancestors continue to exist among the living.  With every new member, WARM will carry the spirit and love of all of us as we come and go, stitch by stitch, adding strength to our quilted bond.

Ubuntu, I am because we are.

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Pennie's Life Lesson:
                     "No one stands alone -
                       we are who we are 
                because we all exist together."

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YOUR TURN
My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to realize you are not alone and to think about  who are the threads of your family quilt?  Who sits in your circle of life.  
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                          Thank you!  
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                 Copyright © 2013-2019 Pennie Hunt
         This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt.
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