In these days of multiple, ongoing crises, it is easy to loose our focus. To be distracted by the chaos. We must work harder to strengthen our connections with and care for all living things. How many love their neighbor as themselves these days?

Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving address says “we have been given the duty to live in balance and harmony with each other and all living things. So now, we bring our minds together as one as we give greetings and thanks to each other as People.”

There are many reasons why I’ve been led to make connections with Native peoples. Being “led” means I received Spiritual messages to do this. Its not like God speaks in words, but rather nudges us along a path.  My grandmother, Lorene Standing, used to say God’s will is revealed in a series of small steps.  Each step reinforces the ones before.  Things begin to happen that reinforce these steps.  This may occur over a short time, or years.

We have been given the duty to live in balance and harmony with each other and all living things. So now, we bring our minds together as one as we give greetings and thanks to each other as People.

– From the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving address –

Interestingly, Dallas Chief Eagle spoke about this for quite a while around the bonfire at the end of the Prairie Awakening celebration. He told us to empty our mind.  When thoughts enter, say “no”.  To be completely still.  He then had us do this together.  Afterward he asked the children what they felt, and they said “good, “peaceful” and “happy”.  He said to practice this, and that we would also learn to recognize the spirit in others. [This story is from a blog post I wrote, Reflections on September Journey]

The following outlines how my Spiritual environmental journey led me to Indigenous peoples.

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One of the most meaningful events of my life was walking on the First Nation-Farmer Climate Unity March during the first week of September, 2018. This website has many blog posts, photos and videos about the March. https://firstnationfarmer.com/

One of the main goals of what one of us called our Sacred Journey, was for this small group of native and non native people to get to know, and begin to trust each other as we walked 94 miles over eight days along the path of the Dakota Access pipeline in central Iowa. That was extremely successful, for me anyway. I am so blessed to have native friends now. There have been numerous occasions since when we have worked together.

Which finally gets to the point of this post, about an event happening tonight that many of my friends are involved with, “Native Voices for Votes, an Evening of speaking, singing, and drumming to uplift the BIPOC (black, indigenous, people of color) vote in Iowa and Nebraska.”

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My friend, Regina Tsosie, will be on the “Native Voices for Votes” program tonight. Here she sings as we begin the First Nation-Farmer Climate Unity March (2018).