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Remembering Baby Brother

My little brother wants me to show you this picture.

Gene talks to me from the Spirit world. He also inspires me from the Spirit world. He was a musician; I think of him as I practice my guitar each night.

He listens! He wants me to write songs; work on my vocals.

Gene was one year younger than me! He was also taller than me. I’m 6′ 3″ and he was 6’6″. I’m quiet but baby brother is even more reserved.

He passed over in 1998 after a long battle with lupus. He died on stage doing what he loved – playing music with his reggae band. He was 37 years-old.

In this photo that he asked me to share, I’m standing on the left, Gene is on the right. My older sisters are fraternal twins but some folks thought Gene and I were the twins in the family because we were the same height at one point and looked more alike than my sisters did.

As I write to you, his spirit has drawn closer to me. We are writing to you together. He is laughing!

The ancestors do more than guide us. They challenge us to think and to stretch. To expand the way we see ourselves. And to stop putting ourselves down by thinking in a box.

In my case, I didn’t always think of myself as a musician. But I do now. I haven’t written a single song yet, but I will.

Gene was alive when I bought my first guitar back on St. Croix. He taught me how to play “Revolution” by Bob Marley. I still remember it.

“Never make a politician grant you a favor. They will always want to control you forever. I don’t want to live in the park. Can’t trust no shadows in the park. So my friend I hope that you can see. Like the birds in the tree, the prisoners need to be free. Yeah.”

– Bob Marley, Revolution

That song, Revolution, will be with me forever. So will baby brother.

Once, when I had a reading with a talented medium, Gene said he still loves to swim. Yes. He goes swimming in the spirit world.

Hearing baby brother say that blew me away. Got me thinking. What does the beach look like in the spirit world? I wonder. What color is the water?

And how does the water feel against your skin in the spirit world?

My experiences with my ancestors has taught me this important truth.Your loved ones in Spirit want you to expand the way you think of them.

Listen! The ancestors are not sitting over there doing nothing. They are as alive as you and me and they’re still learning and growing and loving. Newsflash! You should be too!

– James Weeks

Your ancestors also want you to expand the way you see yourself and your future. Stop putting yourself down. Don’t limit yourself by putting yourself in a box and for God’s sake don’t put yourself in anyone else’s box.

If you feel stuck in life, you should know that you can break free. You owe it to yourself. You deserve better. You know it. You can do so much more. You know that too. So why aren’t you doing it?

Who knows what your ancestors are inspiring you to do? Surely you can find out. Spiritual guidance is available 24/7 for those that are truly seeking.

The guidance will come in one form or another…

“There’s a Natural Mystic blowing through the air! If you listen carefully now you will hear.”

– Bob Marley, “Natural Mystic”

– James Weeks/Across The King’s River

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They Are We

Pa Joe, one of the elders in the film.

Pa Joe, one of the elders in the film.

My body is in Cuba, but my soul is in Africa. It is the African soul that nurtures my body here in Cuba. Our people who were taken away have found their home again.”

– They Are We, a documentary film by Emma Christopher

I first learned about the film They Are We during a recent trip home to St. Croix, Virgin Islands.

They Are We resonates with me for several reasons and each one leads me back to my ancestors. The quest to learn more about them and myself while embracing the notion and/or the reality that the ancient ones still live through me.

My body is in Oakland, C.A, yet my soul also dwells in the Caribbean and in West Africa.

Where does your soul dwell? Why?

Despite centuries of oppression and cultural devastation, They Are We is a compelling reminder that profound connections can still be made to the Motherland in our times.

James Weeks

Producer, Across The King’s River.

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