November 22 2013 – Sadie’s Journal
It’s been an amazing journey for me while visiting Yellowknife and Hay River. This is my first experience in the North West Territories and I couldn’t have asked for anything better.
The first night Georgia and I were expecting to share a two bedroom hotel room. What we got was one bed. So Rand, Georgia, and I all went over to the main hotel and asked for a cot. What we got was a giant twin bed on wheels to push over to our hotel (which was across the street and down half a block). We were so tired that the entire experience was hilarious.
The experiences afterward were much more rewarding. My top three most rewarding presentations were as follows: There was a parent night at the Tree of Peace Center and I shared my story with them – talking about my relationship with my mom while using and drinking and how my relationship is with her now. I also spoke about tough love – my mom chose not to kick me out for fear of what I would do if I never came home. A lot of parents have to make a very tough choice: to kick their child out or to keep them at home. I spoke on how negative I was then and how positive my life and relationships are now.
My second favourite experience was at a drum dance in N,Dilo. There was a group of men who drummed for us first in prayer and then in dance. Beside the men was this very small boy, about two years old who drummed along with them often right in time. He was so beautiful and pure. You could see that there was no suffering in his heart and that he knew that there is love. The often would run around and to his mother, but always came back to stand beside the men and beat his drum with them.
My third most rewarding experience was at the Yellowknife men’s jail. I had asked myself before hand whether I would tell them my entire story about how men effected my life and how I was sexually and verbally assaulted by men or to leave that part out. I decided they should hear how a young woman truly felt while going through those experiences. Afterward, I shook each man’s hand and many of them thanked me for sharing my experiences. When I share I want to spread a message of hope.
I know that especially when I spoke to the parents and to the men that they understood there is a better way to living than that of a life filled with anger, drug, and alcohol. There is a life with spirituality, hope, freedom and wellbeing. That life for me is drug and alcohol free.
Thank you to Rand Teed and those who sponsored us to be here – this is something I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
