To My Wife 1

I have yet to be told her name;  however, I am provided with hints.  From very early within my life, I am provided with suggestions towards who she is;  where she is from.  Many of the suggestions exist beyond words, and that makes it difficult to translate.

Recently, I am given a message regarding who her family is.  There is the story of a man, a Hindu, although there is a strong presence of Sikhism, as well.  He leaves India, amidst the imperial endeavours of the united kingdom.  He travels to a land further East, widely known as Hong Kong.  And whilst he is here, he marries a woman who is from the land, China, whose family practises Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism;  and children are born from the union of the 2 families.  Some period later, during the Communist revolution, 1 of the sons of this far and mor leaves the land of China to build his home in Brasil.

During this same period, there is another man who is raised within the bosom of Arabia.  As the teachings of Islam spread, he travels with his family Westward through the Diaspora, through the South of the Mediterranean Sea;  where he and his family settle within the Moorish rule of the Iberian Peninsula.  Whilst living here, he marries a Christian Iberian woman, and the family settles within the Iberian Peninsula for generations.  Eventually, 1 of the family’s sons leaves the Iberian Peninsula to travel to the new colony of Brasil.  He settles within the mosaic of Brasil, marries a woman who also lives with her family within the mosaic of Brasil;  and the family is established within Brasil for generations.

Eventually, a son from the 1^st familial lineage marries a daughter from the latter familial lineage.  And to this family a daughter is born.  And during this stage of the story, the transmission of the message becomes somewhat staticy for myself, at this point.  There is the communication of the daughter’s family having a considerable amount of university education.  There is an intellectualism with her family, yet there is also a profound spirituality, as well.  Amidst the different traditions of her heritage, there is the consideration of her family being involved with groups such as Brahma Kumaris, Soka Gakkai, the Baha’is, and/or additionally.  Her involvement with United Religions Initiative is pronounced, yet it may be an eventuality.

Her multiethnic background is obviously unique, yet within the multiethnic mosaic of Brasil, it is very much normal.  What is comparatively challenging for her is openly proclaiming, exploring, and cultivating her multireligious spirituality amidst the substantially monoreligious Catholic culture of Brasil.  And she actually cherishes her Catholic heritage and traditions of compassion.  Yet she feels increasingly confused by the direct and implicit admonishment towards “the other.”

There are burgeoning communities from China, India, and Arabia in the large metropolitan area where she lives in Brasil (perhaps Rio De Janeiro or São Paulo);  there are Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Confucianists, Taoists, and additionally.  And there are modest initiatives and groups that directly build conversation and harmony amongst these different communities.  Yet, when she is growing up, she finds it easier to immerse herself within the Secular intellectualism of academia, and the cosmopolitan fervour of our international community, with particular groups like the UN and NGOs.  However, she eventually fins that this Secular intellectualism is increasingly entrenched within the context of nationalistic identity.  And whilst she loves Brasil, she loves Brasileiro people, she loves the Selecão, she loves Bossa Nova and Mambo, and she loves her life within this cultural mix, she is troubled with the isolationism and militarism that comes with this nationalistic identity.  She is about  and harmony, and identifying intimately with all peoples.  After all, that is exactly what she loves about Brasil.

So she looks for something similar, yet beyond the nationalism;  something that resonates with her all-embracing spirituality and her sense of purpose and meaning within this life;  somewhere she can genuinely experience community inclusivity, simultaneously.  She begins her travels, her journey.  She finds our InterFaith Movement before she even finds the words for such.  And this is how we find each other.

On my side, there is the story of a man, a Bar Ephraim Bar Yaakov Bar Yitzak Bar Avraham;  an ישראלי.  He and his family live within Eretz Israel for many generations.  Yet, eventually, the land experiences turmoil and strife, and he and his family travel South, returning to the land where his ancestors experience bondage;  Egypt.  Yet he and his family decide to travel further South, following the Nile River closer towards its fabled source;  with the prospect of prosperity providing motivation.  He settles in Eastern Africa, Ethiopia, and marries an Ethiopian woman.

Whilst there is increasing serenity within Ethiopia, his family is called to continue migrating.  There is the legacy of another nearby river, the Congo, that leads to fertile and prosperous land.  His family finds the Congo and follows the river towards the land of the Ibo people, in what is referred to as Nigeria.  1 of the sons of the family marries an Ibo woman.  This family eventually migrates further North into the land of the tribes who speak Twi;  also known as the land of Ghana.  1 of the family’s sons marries a Twi woman, and the family settles within the land of Ghana for numerous generations.

At some point, 1 of the family’s sons is abducted by European pirates and sold into slavery.  He is transported, by slave ship, to the European colony of the United States Of America.  The family’s son, Peter, is known as “The African.”  He learns the craft of carpentry and he finds a slavemaster who permits him to sell the crafts that he produces during his allotted leisure moments.  Through this exchange, Peter is able to purchase his own freedom.  He moves from Virginia to North Carolina, where he settles with his wife, a Seminole woman whose ancestors are natives of the colonised land.

Tragedy strikes when Peter is killed, and the family’s children relocate to different areas of this land.  The youngest child, a son, John Anderson, is adopted by a family in Michigan.  He settles within Illinois where he marries Della, also a descendant of African slaves, as well as European slave drivers;  and the couple has a son, John William.  John William grows up as a prodigy, later running the streets, fighting for the US military in Korea, and then graduating from university to become a pharmacist.  He settles in our Cuyahoga area.

During this same period, there is a man who is raised within Scandinavia, Danmark.  His family lives there for many generations.  Eventually, 1 of the family’s sons, Johan, marries a woman from further North, Sverige, and the couple has a son, Frank.  Frank embarks upon a bicycle journey throughout Eurasia, and lands within India.  There, he experiences a spiritual awakening and converts to Christianity.  Here in India, he meets another Christian missionary woman, Thelma, whose family is also from Scandinavia, Sverige, and recently settle within the Pacific Northwest, via North Dakota.  To the couple a daughter, Carol, is born.  The family move back and settle within the Pacific Northwest.

Carol rebels, somewhat, from the authoritarian upbringing of her parents, and relocates to our Cuyahoga area, where she becomes a high school teacher.  John and Carol meet and marry, and a son, Peter, is born to the couple.  Peter is raised with a strong belief in God and a strong practice of the Golden Rule.  He excels within his studies and professional career, studying at 5 universities, in England and South Africa, and earning 2 graduate degrees, in Economics, Management, and International Law.  He also awakens to a spiritual conscientiousness that transcends nationalism, and he finds the InterFaith Movement before he knows the words for it.  Amidst his political and religious persecution, he avidly studies Holy Scriptures (particularly within Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam), as well as additional traditions, including the Baha’is.  He becomes increasingly steeped within a multireligious spirituality, known as धम עולם תקן, and relentlessly fulfils his purpose as an interreligious diplomat and community builder, here within our Cuyahoga area, internationally throughout the Earth, and Universe.

I am Peter Frank Womack Johannesen Osisi, and the proceeding is the story of how I meet my wife.

How Can I Read You,

Without Yet Knowing Your Name;

The Pages Of Life.