Today I participated in the Wabanaki Reach : Interacting with Wabanaki Maine History. It was powerful, deeply moving, excellently facilitated and clearly shared truth. I have known about Wabanaki Reach for a couple of years, Diana (the library's latest Island Institute Fellow) had worked closely with Wabanaki Reach during her years at Bowdoin College. I spent a weekend with her and Karin Spitfire, finishing one of the Maine Maps that are used in many of their trainings. This fall I went with Diana out into the woods and participated in the video where we put out the map, disassembled it, and put it back together. The photo above is one that I took of the map. And now today along with 50 other people I moved through this deeply meaningful training, telling the story of the Wabanaki from the lens of the Wabanaki and the colonizers. I was buoyed by the number of people I knew who were on zoom with me, that we could feel so deeply connected over zoom was both about the training itself and the power of truth telling.
So as I type, I am still holding the power of opening up and letting in a history that we did not learn as children, an education that perpetuates racist and colonizing frameworks and power, and the need for acting intentionally to continue to speak the truth and manifest reconciliation.
It is with this in my heart that I went about the rest of my day. Another grey and moderate temperature day. We are half way through January and neither have had snow or cold weather except a couple of bursts that came and went pretty quickly. It will come. I know many people want snow and cold, they need it for their livelihood, but I have to say that I am not missing the deep freeze, I want snow (especially for when my kick sled arrives) but I don't mind the warmer temperatures - of course this is also why it is grey everyday. No sundogs when the sky is filled with clouds.
I had to go to my drive-thru bank in Island Falls this afternoon. I was glad for a drive. I have a new audio book by Kay Hooper, and I drove slowly east on 159 listening to the beginning of my new book. Not too far out of town I noticed many cars on the side of the road (this is not a place where there is traffic!). As I got closer I realized that there were 7 state police cars and a state investigation trailer. Don't know what went on at that house, but it was bad. I am going to have to ask some "locals", made for a little more interesting ride to Island Falls.
I decided to stop at Ada's (my Amish friend and egg seller) on my way home. I appreciate my eggs and our friendship. I get a very real window into how our lives are so different and so very the same. It was a very brief stop and then headed home.
The views were not expansive today, the sky overcast, but the mountain range and Mt. Katahdin were in view. There was a veil of blue and lavender and a softness in the air. A good way to come home.
Once home, I had a very long and lovely phone call with a friend in "the county" then later a call from a very very long time friend, her sister's wife had died this morning. She did have cancer, but no one was expecting that she would go so very quickly.
So here I am the day after the second impeachment, looking squarely at a history that is still playing itself out to this day. I am feeling the preciousness of life, the strength and necessity of community and the grounding of very simple things in life.
It is Thursday, the fourteenth day of the New Year. What a Year. It came in so loudly and with so much everything that I just can't help but blog. It is good for me and who knows what it is for you but here we all are - grateful.
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