And bending down beside the glowing bars,
William Butler Yeats “When You Are Old”
Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.
I spent the Fourth of July on the Rez with my family. My mother’s family has a long history with this land; my great-great-great-great-great grandfather was a trapper and in 1814 married a Native woman named La Petite Okanogan and my family’s been here ever since.
French, Irish and Native American traditions run deep in my family, and I have a strong bond with this part of my heritage.
One thing I realize is that people may come and go in your life, but family is always there, no matter what. I am so grateful to still have both my folks in my life and I’m grateful to have all of my family that have been there for me all this time.