It was a cold, windy, rainy morning. Not what people hope for when holding an outdoor event. We were bundled up, showing small hints of orange hidden under layer upon layer. It was not comfortable weather, however looking back, I would not change it. The beautiful thing about the wind and the rain is the way it drew us together. People with umbrellas graciously shared and we all huddled close around the fire. Additionally, the weather provided the right setting for the day, remembering the tragedy of residential schools while looking to the future and hope of reconciliation.
I appreciated hearing from artist Clayton Gauthier, who lead a great, thought provoking discussion. It was a unique thing to declare to the group a personal way that I would show love to myself, and to hear how other people wish to practice self-care. I will try to remember to keep my promise to intentionally prioritize time with my family, which is what I determined I would do when the staff was passed to me. I also liked the opportunity to write a message on a sticky note and offer it to the fire that was providing light and warmth to our group. It was very powerful action to take as a group.
The drumming was also very moving for me. I am musical and love to sing but I have never had the opportunity to drum before. I am extremely grateful to the UHNBC drumming group for bringing extra drums for us to play and join in. There is something so beautiful about a circle of people, connecting through song, dance and rhythm. It was also very special to see how the morning affected my peers.
Through it all I felt humbled, grateful and warmed, on this cold, wet morning.
After we moved inside, we ate lunch and waited for our next class to start. I decided that I wanted to write “Every Child Matters” across the board and invited Emily HM to join me. We set to work and it ended up being a nice backdrop for us to take our class photo. Looking at the photo of our group, it is cool to see the sea of orange and remember the sense of community that the day brought.
