NAMIBIA 17°47’58.2”S 25°10’13.1”E
“She reminds me of something primal, something that’s been there from the beginning of time, but that we, in our hurry and bustle, have left behind.”
goes beyond language. These rumbles can travel for kilometers (around 6 kilometers maximum), carrying through the earth and allowing distant family members to remain connected. It’s an unbreakable bond, forged from years and instincts that stretch back across millennia. I feel a wave of awe. This matriarch’s life is devoted to the survival of her family. Every decision she makes is about protection and continuity, about ensuring that this river, this land, this life will sustain her kin for generations. She holds her place with wisdom and power, and even we humans could learn from her strength—from her unyielding love for her family, her commitment to the land that sustains them all. As she leads the herd into the river, I feel a strange tug at my heart. There’s a lesson here, I think, about balance, about protection, about a kind of loyalty we’ve forgotten. She reminds me of something primal, something that’s been there from the beginning of time, but that we, in our hurry and bustle, have left behind. The elephants’ gentle splashing fills the air as they cross the river, moving in unison. Unlike other elephant populations, Chobe’s elephants have mastered the art of deep- water swimming, submerging their massive bodies and using their trunks as snorkels. One pauses, too afraid to wade deeper, until its mother circles back, brushing it gently with her trunk, reassuring, guiding. I can see how the matriarch is looking at her family the way our own mothers look at us, the way our planet looks at us. There’s a grace in how these elephants move, a respect for the water and the land that we’ve forgotten. And here, on the river, I feel it keenly. These elephants are living reminders, silent but powerful teachers, showing us that true strength lies in connection—connection to each other, to the land, and to the delicate, unbreakable threads that bind us all. As the herd passes into the golden light, then disappearing into the twilight on the bank, I sit in silence and ponder. I am in awe of the matriarch, her family, and her wisdom. And I know that this moment will stay with me—a reminder of what it means to protect, to nurture, and to honor the earth we share.
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MOTHER VOLUME FOUR
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