Category: Life
-
33 years and counting
My Love, Thirty-three years — and it still feels like yesterday that we met. Two months from our first date to “I do.” A whirlwind that turned into a lifetime. This gift is a small symbol of what we’ve written together. It shows a story of laughter, courage, and love. This story keeps growing deeper.…
-
The Last Denesuline Traditional Marriage
My extraordinary mama “In every marriage, there is not only the joining of two people, but of two worlds — one visible, one spiritual.”— Joseph Campbell IMy mother, Therese Deranger (née Adams). She was the matriarch of our family. I also write about my father, Isidore Deranger. Their union was one of the last traditional…
-
Honoring My Grandparents Chris and Christina Adam
Grandparents Chris Christina married 60 years Grandparents — Chris and Christina Adam “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” – Joseph Campbell In this chapter, I write about my grandparents, Chris and Christina Adam, from Fond du Lac, Saskatchewan. They were the roots of our family.…
-
DENE WAYS
Oral Tradition — The Living Heartbeat of Our Denesuline Culture “Myths are public dreams, and dreams are private myths.” – Joseph Campbell In this chapter, I write about oral tradition as the heartbeat of our Denesuline culture. Oral traditions are the living foundation of who we are. Long before our people read or write, we…
-
Mama
Mama: Matriarch of Strength (1919–2016) “What I think is that a good life is one hero journey after another. Over and over again, you are called to the realm of adventure, you are called to new horizons. Each time, there is the same problem: do I dare? And then if you do dare, the dangers…
-
FREEING EGO
“Life will offer you with people and circumstances to reveal where you’re not free.” — Peter Crone“Nothing is either good or bad; it is thinking that makes it so.” — William Shakespeare In this chapter, I write about the lifelong work of freeing myself from ego. This is the voice that seeks validation. It clings…
-
Tea four Two
In this chapter, I invite you to consider a simple yet meaningful gesture—inviting your best friend for a beverage. It could be tea, coffee, a glass of wine—whatever you both enjoy. The key is to set an intention and schedule it in advance, ensuring you are mindful and fully present. No TV. No phones. No…
-
Indigenous Healing A book review
Indigenous Healing, by Rupert Ross – A Review by Angelina I saw that a package had arrived on the counter. I touched the package and observed it was soft and about the size of a paperback. I thought that it contained a book. I was curious but, since it was not addressed to me, I set it…
-
From Grief to Action: Fight Against Addiction
I dropped a tear in the ocean. The day it is found is the day I will stop missing you. – Unknown It shattered my world when you died. The world as I knew it changed forever in an instant. Tears cascaded down my face as I try to process that your beautiful spirit is…
From the Shores of the Ottawa River 