Rest as Resilience: A Journey Through Heritage, Gratitude, and Renewal

Two weeks in the Caribbean with my family over Christmas gave me the gift I didn’t fully realize I needed: rest, reflection, and reconnection. While I’ve visited my family in Barbados at least twice a year, it had been seven years since I’d been to St. Vincent, my mother’s birthplace. This trip, however, felt different from the start.

Before my journey, I stumbled upon a TikTok video discussing how 2025 would be a year to focus on the ancestors. The message felt serendipitous, aligning with my upcoming travels to my paternal heritage (Barbados) and maternal heritage (St. Vincent). Armed with this awareness, I approached the trip with a heightened mindfulness of my grandparents’ paths and the influence they’ve had on my life.

Gratitude and Connection: Restoring Through Legacy

While in Barbados, a series of moments brought my father and his parents to the forefront of my mind. One evening, leaving a friend after a quick meet up, I relied on navigation to find my way home. A wrong turn led me somewhere deeply familiar—right in front of my grandparents’ house. It was as though I was being guided back to a place I needed to see. Standing before the house and land, I paused, took a deep breath, and silently thanked my grandparents for their blessings and sacrifices.

A few days later, while passing the church where they are buried, I was compelled to do the same. These intentional moments of gratitude felt restorative, grounding me in their legacy and my place in it.

The experience repeated itself in St. Vincent. On the way to my uncle’s house, we passed by my maternal grandparents’ home. Again, I took a moment to breathe deeply, acknowledge their lives, and give thanks. The next day, at the family church, I stood at their gravesites and offered another prayer of gratitude. These were the grandparents I had spent my summers with, and this connection to their lives was a reminder of the foundation they built for me.

Rest Beyond Sleep: Rejuvenation Through Presence

When people asked if I got a lot of sleep during the trip, I had to laugh. My internal Caribbean clock always seems to wake me at 6 a.m., no matter how much I want to sleep in. But rest is more than just sleep.

This trip gave me the opportunity to slow down and be present. I soaked in the beauty of the islands—the vibrancy of the sea, the lush greenery, the rhythm of life that feels both effortless and intentional. I cherished time with family, savoring laughter, stories, and meals together. This was rest in its truest form—a break to renew my purpose, reconnect with legacy, and reflect on the richness of my culture.

Rest as a Form of Resilience

Resilience often requires us to push through challenges, but it also demands moments of pause to restore and renew. This trip was about filling my cup to overflow, ensuring that I could return to my work and my life with clarity, energy, and gratitude.

Rest doesn’t always mean sleep—it can be about mindfulness, gratitude, and reconnection. It can mean returning to the roots of your identity, pausing to honor the people and places that shaped you, and allowing yourself the space to reflect and plan for the future.

For me, these two weeks were a reminder that rest is an act of resilience. By taking time to care for ourselves—mind, body, and spirit—we build the strength to carry on with purpose and intention.

As we step into 2025, let us not forget the power of rest. Let us honor the legacies of those who came before us while ensuring we care for ourselves enough to continue the journey they began. Rest isn’t just about pausing; it’s about preparing. It’s about recognizing that resilience is strongest when it’s rooted in renewal.

So, here’s to moments of rest, reflection, and gratitude. Here’s to the resilience that comes from filling your cup. And here’s to the ancestors who guide us, the family who supports us, and the purpose that keeps us moving forward.