"Ashes to Ashes; Dust to Dust." These words are etched in my memory, always close to the surface when I attend a funeral. You see, I grew up hearing them uttered at one funeral after another. Now, no funeral seems complete if I don't hear them.
Today, however, I made a conscious choice to look at ashes differently. I awoke to news that the hallowed ground of my family, a place that signified so much for us, burned to the ground overnight. My initial reaction was one of shock and devastation! 14 Jenkins Street was the place where my grandfather and his siblings built the Carew Family legacy. This was the compound that housed the two homes where their children, including my dad, were raised. "Jenkins Street" was the nook where all of us, the grandchildren, converged with our parents after church each Sunday. We knew Jenkins Street was home to Grandma Georgie and Uncle Bazzey, and then to Aunty Hannah, Uncle Willie and Aunty Mala, but for the entire Carew Family, this was our home. Our friends, too, called this place "home". It was there that I learned to play "First for see dem bod poll lite en first". I held my own as a little girl, trying to be the first person to see the street lights come on as birds flew by.
Family reunions for us were ongoing. Every wedding in the family, including my brother and sisters' weddings were planned at 14 Jenkins Street. Every funeral in the family, including my brother's memorial service last November, was planned at 14 Jenkins Street. While adults handled the business of these events, children did what we did best: we played. During the bachelor's eves, wedding parties, wakes and funerals, children did what we did best, we made a game out of everything. Everything, including collecting the "stoppers" (bottle caps) from the bottles of Guinness and Star beer so that Uncle Bengie - Bishop Benjamin Carew - the first Archbishop of the United Methodist Church in Sierra Leone, wouldn't see them. This place is one of the primary reasons why our parents grew up as brothers and sisters, even though they were the children of multiple siblings. Neighbors from Jenkin Lane to Bombay Street and friends from school and church were part of the 14 Jenkins Street legacy.
As I reminisced about the many memories my family built at Jenkins Street, it dawned on me that all of them withstood the raging fire. I could still see, in my mind's eye, our grandparents and parents taking care of the business at hand. I can still feel the pounding of my cousins' feet as we chased each other. I could almost feel myself running out of breath from hours of fun. I could still hear the melody of voices singing hymns at wake after wake. The rhythmic moves of everyone dancing to goombay and milo jazz are still fresh in my mind. And the food, oh the sweet aroma of endless supply of food, still fill my nostrils. The laughter and tears of generations of Carews are soaked in that compound despite the intensity of the flames.
Since Christmas Day, 2009 when we lost Aunty Hannah at Jenkins Street, to last Saturday when we lost Aunty Dolly, we have bid farewell to about 11 members of our family. While this is a lot of people in one family, it is the downside of having a family as large as ours. All of them are part of memories deeply embedded at 14 Jenkins Street.
At this point, I have embraced the reality of the ashes that now lie where there were two homes that nurtured our family. I am convinced that God is taking us through a purging that will make room for unbelievable blessings for my family. I am open to receiving these blessings and excited about the many possibilities the future hold for our generation of Carews, and for our children and their children. In the shadows of the ashes, I can clearly see the image of a phoenix rising. 14 Jenkins Street, a place that has been a hub of activity for my family, still remains a hallowed ground despite the ravages of the fire. The onus of responsibility to preserve a family legacy lies in the hands of my generation.
Ashes to Ashes...here's to the dawning of a new era for my family. Rise, Phoenix!
~~Vic~~
No comments:
Post a Comment