Gichimanidoo-giizis (Great-Spirit Moon), January 13, 2023
~~ NEW BEGINNINGS ~~
Do not fret niinimoshenh
Take my hand
The forest is never
As dense as it seems
Accept my hand
Let’s leave the backward path
And walk toward that sacred place
Where Earth and Sky meet
Our Mother and our Father
Never judge or hold grudges
They Dance In A Different Light
The warm light of New Beginnings
Let's fly with the Eagles and the Hawks
To that soundless world beyond the clouds
And lie down where the mighty river flows
Until our dreams become the Stars.
Take my hand...
Boozhoo. The above painting, which I did a few days ago, tells the story of two companions for life who dance together and hold each other's hand in this world and the next.
I wrote the poem "New Beginnings" seven years ago, for a fellow artist from Canada whom I loved with all my heart but who betrayed me, hurt me badly. But I refused to become a cynic when it came to love. Just because someone hasn't found the right one to share their heart with doesn't mean true love is a total illusion. It is this belief that kept me going and made it possible that eventually the right person crossed my path. I painted "Take My Hand" as a celebration of this new love. Or rather, as a show of my determination never to give up on love.
But it goes deeper than that. It starts with yourself. We cannot truly open up to others as long as we do not love ourselves first.
It also goes farther than that. It goes beyond our terrestrial reality and experience. This is why I dedicate the painting to my sister Diane Badbear who is in mourning for owiijiiwaaganan (her husband) who recently left for the spirit world to meet his ancestors.
Don't let go of his hand, nimis, no matter how far away he may seem at times.
Hope. Comfort. Inspiration. Friendship. And our stories. These are the things in life that, eventually, pull us through.
Poem: © 2016 - 2023 Zhaawano Giizhik
Illustration: Take My Hand (New Beginnings) © 2023 Zhaawano Giizhik
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