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Kindle Notes & Highlights
New Normal, which is what I call what happens when your universe is shaken so badly you can never regain the same axis as before. But you try anyway.
When someone dies, everything about them becomes past tense. Except for the grief. Grief stays in the present.
The Seven Grandfathers are teachings about living the Anishinaabe minobimaadiziwin—our good way of life—through love, humility, respect, honesty, bravery, wisdom, and truth.
“It’s hard when being Native means different things depending on who’s asking and why,” he says. “And to some people, you’ll never be Native enough,” I add. “Yeah. It’s your identity, but it gets defined or controlled by other people.”
“Je suis celui qui attend avec impatience demain.” I am the one looking forward to tomorrow.
“Kindness is something that seems small, Daunis, but it’s like tossing a pebble into a pond and the ripples reach further than you thought.”
Walking through life with integrity means not deceiving yourself or others.
What if it’s a strength to love and care for someone you don’t always like?
When you love someone, but don’t like parts of them, it complicates your memories of them when they’re gone.
“Maybe the point is patience. Trust that the answers will be revealed when you’re ready.”
You are fluent in a language when you dream in it. I assumed Seeney meant nighttime dreams. I didn’t think about the ones that sneak up on you during the day.
My whole life I’ve wanted to be like my aunt. The way a person dreams about being a ballerina, but not of broken toes and years of practice. I wanted to be a strong and wise Nish kwe, never considering how that abundance of sight would be earned.
Wisdom is not bestowed. In its raw state, it is the heartbreak of knowing things you wish you didn’t.
I’m reminded that our Elders are our greatest resource, embodying our culture and community. Their stories connect us to our language, medicines, land, clans, songs, and traditions. They are a bridge between the Before and the Now, guiding those of us who will carry on in the Future.
