The Water Walker

From the Facebook Post of Grandmother Sharon Day:


For Josephine Mandamin on behalf of water walkers

Ogima Ogitchidagkwe
M’dewanikwe
Ogima Ogitchidagkwe
M’dewanikwe
The nibi found in you
A true warrior
Ingah izitchigay nibi ohnjay
I will do it for the water
Ogima Ogitchidagkwe
M’dewanikwe
You are my hero

Listen to the nibi
She speaks if we will only listen
Swirling round and round
Waves breaking onto shore
She speaks if we will only listen
As she’s moving on downstream
She sings to us in wintertime
ice breaks on the frozen stream
Listen to the nibi
She speaks if we will only listen

Ogima Ogitchidagkwe
M’dewanikwe
Ogima Ogitchidagkwe
M’dewanikwe
We’ve learned so much from you
Of love and fierce devotion too
giiBimosaayan nibi ohnjay
we walked for the water
Ogima Ogitchidagkwe
M’dewanikwe Bidasigaye
You are my hero

SDay 2/22/19

Reflections on Grief

“In the Lakota/Sioux tradition, a person who is grieving is considered most wakan, most holy. There's a sense that when someone is struck by the sudden lightning of loss, he or she stands on the threshold of the spirit world. The prayers of those who grieve are considered especially strong, and it is proper to ask them for their help.

You might recall what it's like to be with someone who has grieved deeply. The person has no layer of protection, nothing left to defend. The mystery is looking out through that person's eyes. For the time being, he or she has accepted the reality of loss and has stopped clinging to the past or grasping at the future. In the groundless openness of sorrow, there is a wholeness of presence and a deep natural wisdom.” - Tara Brach, True Refuge: Finding Peace and Freedom in Your Own Awakened Heart

Image Source: Facebook