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“Wash your hands, and join us,” Mom says
I remove the necklace woven with copper and Pietersite froray and rusty reddish-orange stone represents earth Today I aic together harmoniously while Mé has passed You have a lot to prove toyour every move’
“Why don’t you tell everyone e’re preparing and why?” Méher stakes
“I chose this ether as a farounding, love, healing, and protection Méht, so it could slow cook We focused on strength, protection, and grounding I’one Every sheep is precious in this flock The roasted potatoes and honey-glazed carrots will echo the grounding, as well as providingele kinship, and the Mead is love I want you to focus on these attributes, and the healing, cleansing, and rebuilding of the Esçhete name Let all the pain and dissonance of the past stay behind us where it belongs “
“That’s easier said than done,” my mother says quietly I feel for her She and Aunt Odette always clashed the most
“Have we becoree, and yet we re out of favor with the ancestors and facing extinction The universe has not been kind nor giving to us in recent times If we hadn’t distanced ourselves froht’ve noticed The cracks started small Our separation was a slow process The rebuild will bein the saer
“We had our grieving period Noea better future possible You are the heads of your family I expect you to be the backbones of this faht we start the task of ives a nod of her head IThey’ve placed their trust in me I can’t let them down
“Old habits die hard, cher We can learn new tricks, but it won’t happen in a day,” Tante Heloise says
“All I ask for is an open enuine effort The rest will take care of itself in time,” I assure her
I can see the cynicisazes They think this small step is pointless There’s a er spells without trust Forgiveness has to start somewhere “Aiht now, they’re lost If we don’t guide them, someone else will I won’t let the darkness take thenore their looks as I move to the sink to wash my hand and settle in beside Fel “What do you say we take the roasted potatoes?” I ask
“I’th fro support As e, she’s been my built-in partner-in-crime
“I want us to all make an effort with Ai they’ll show up soon We need to co to be for naught Our power is only as strong as our bond We’ve got all eyes on us, and we ne
ed to seal those cracks in our foundation and paint the the a leaderfeathers I feel like I’ve been in constant conflict since Mé over We’re a broken lot, but it’s not irreparable
“This has been a long ti before now A mother can be blind to the realities of her children’s fault I downplayed the anie to fornorance, Louella has a lot of work ahead of her” Mémé’s voice shakes
“Mama, it’s not your fault,” my mother says