Tag: Life
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Life’s Value: Lessons from Loss and Love
We search to find meaning in someone’s life. We search for answers to their existence. At times, especially during moments of loss and grief, we look for meanings in their life to ease our pain. That is the human condition. We search because we think if we can attach value to their life, then their…
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Sister Rose Desjarlais
Sister Rose – Resilient Spirit (1954–) This is a picture of her. It includes our late brother Roger and her late son James. Rose Marina was born in 1954. She is more than my sister. She is my confidante and my companion. We share stories, joys, and the hardships that shaped us. Rose is a…
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Honoring Mama: The Guardian of Our Dene Culture
She came into this world on 8, of May, 1919, in Old Fort, Alberta, the eldest of eleven children. With two sisters and eight brothers, she quickly learned the weight and responsibility of caring for others. At just 15, she entered into marriage with Isadore Deranger in 1933 in Fond du Lac. Their union began…
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Happiness is yours to grab
What Brings Me Happiness I come from a small northern helmet, Fort Chippewa, Alberta. It is the little things that bring me happiness. I am a proud Denesuline (Dene) Happiness to me is when I feel the warmth of these little moments. They fill me with joy. It sparks a sensation akin to tiny butterflies…
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LIFE’S MOMENTS
Mid-February Musings Lately, I’ve been reflecting more deeply on life’s fleeting nature. I grapple with the idea of a purposeful life—what does it truly mean? I believe we must be intentional in how we live, yet purpose manifests differently for each of us. This contemplation led me to reevaluate what is truly important in my…
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Transforming Bad Luck into Good Lessons
I am blessed. Today I started another year around the sun. looking back on what I wrote about my siblings, I feel sadness and grief. I had ten brothers and five sisters. Over the years I have experienced the loss of five brothers and one sister. Many nieces and nephews. a nephew, Sean John just…
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The Impact of Family Deaths: Reflections on Loss and Legacy
The first time I heard that someone I knew passed away, it was my grandmother, Christine Adam. She died on the operating table. I had a quick and visceral reaction to the news of her passing. I was a 21 year old student with my life ahead of me and my grandmother’s life ended. It…
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My name is Authenticity
Years ago, my social worker friend Dr. Bastien and I drove to a First Nations community in Alberta. Along the way she shared with me stories, a loss of her husband when she was in her twenties, her relationship with her mom. She told her stories like it was possible for me to experience. I…
From the Shores of the Ottawa River 