The Value of Acknowledgment

What does it mean
to acknowledge and
to be acknowledged?
to be heard
to be seen
For a presence to be counted

In the acknowledgement of self
We embrace the value that is ‘me’
The individual ‘me’,
The me that is a thinker
The me that is a feeler
The me that is a do-er
The me that is a be-er
The me that is a worthy, worthwhile contributor

In the acknowledgement of another
we surrender to an appreciation
of those trails already laid bare before us
of the many sacrifices made
of the energy poured forth
of the heartache and the joy
of the trials and the tribulations
of glorious victories and successes

In the acknowledgement of another
We recognise that while we are singular
We do not stand alone,
We belong inherently to a part of a greater whole
We belong, as each grain of sand on the beach
and each drop of water in the ocean does
individual yet not alone
For in the ‘I am’ of alone we find that
We are all a part of the collective whole.

In the acknowledgement that we seek,
The recognition of our own worth and value
The joy that we find,
The peace that we experience

Together, we are.

16 August 2016