A simple post today, a reminder that tomorrow, the 22nd of February, is the Roman festival of the goddess Concordia. It is a feast of goodwill that was known also as Charistia. This is a day for folks to reconcile their differences, to make amends, and it was traditionally celebrated as a meal amongst family and friends, with one purpose: the settling of all disputes that cause discord. Harmony is the goal.
When I ponder all the people in my family lore, all the ancestors, all the folks in old sepia and black and white photographs, and when I think of all the stories that accompany the faces, I think about Concordia and this very special day set aside for the resolution of differences. I think about the people we remember who never had a pleasant or positive thing to say, and I think about the people we remember with kindness, and I know exactly into which camp I hope the people who come afterwards place me.
Image: “Convito,” a fresco painting from Pompeii, now in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale (Naples, Italy), before 79 AD, [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.