I love experiences that fill me with a sense of hope and possibility. One such experience is sitting outside in the mountains of my beloved Yakama homeland. I’ll share with you a few of the blessings who surround me: Breathing in the fresh, crisp forest air, the kind of clean air that lifts your spiritsContinue reading “Morning Blessings, Hope, and Possibility”
Author Archives: Michelle M. Jacob
Joyful Transformation
A few snowflakes fell on me today. It’s a time of winter and spring dancing back and forth on the seasonal dance floor in the mountains of my beloved Yakama homeland. Sometimes change can seem chaotic; externally we might notice one moment it’s raining, then snowing, then hailing, then a quiet fog rolls in providingContinue reading “Joyful Transformation”
Honoring Our Busy Minds
Some readers know that I delight in making paper collages I call Auntie Grams. I find bits of paper destined for the recycle bin, and I use an intuitive process to cut and glue small pieces together. I can never tell ahead of time what will happen in a particular Auntie Gram. It’s a funContinue reading “Honoring Our Busy Minds”
How do you want to feel in April, May, and June?
I am honored to speak with students at Pacific Lutheran University later today about my book Yakama Rising. Thoughtful students sent questions in advance and one question asks about “negative” emotions. I love this question! In our beautiful Yakama storytelling traditions, we learn about the importance of the full range of our emotions. Even one of our mostContinue reading “How do you want to feel in April, May, and June? “
Courage and Wisdom To Do Less
I love planning. Planning, for me, is a time of hope and possibility, a time when I can pause from my daily routine and ask: What do I really want? What steps might I envision to help get me there? I savor these questions and the work they inspire to create my own answers. Many planning approachesContinue reading “Courage and Wisdom To Do Less”
Thoughtful Gifts
Over winter break, I thought a lot about gifts. This holiday season, like always, I was given an abundance of thoughtful, generous gifts by many, many loved ones. In between gatherings, visiting, and gift exchanges, I also took several hikes in the mountains of my beloved Yakama homeland. I love winter hiking–the thoughtfulness I putContinue reading “Thoughtful Gifts”
Early Morning Light
It’s daybreak on my Yakama homeland. Aan (Sun) is preparing for another day of work, perhaps like me drinking a morning cup of coffee. Aan touches the eastern horizon with light and I feel lucky to witness the artistic transformation of the sky–from a cool blue to warm yellow, and now bits of orangish-pink. IContinue reading “Early Morning Light”
Celebrating Indigenous Peoples
Today (August 9) is International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. To honor this occasion, I was invited to write for the SAGE Perspectives blog. SAGE Journals are renowned for their high-impact and world-class research across many academic fields. I am hopeful that my blog published today, “4 Ways You Can Support Indigenous Self-Determination Today”Continue reading “Celebrating Indigenous Peoples”
Traveling
I recently returned from my first airplane trip in over two years. I attended the American Educational Research Association conference held on beautiful Kumeyaay homeland (San Diego). It was a blessing to return to this special place that nurtured me for so many years, including when I had the honor of attending a class atContinue reading “Traveling “
Creative Writing Is a Gift
I think writing is magical. In one moment we face a blank screen or page, and our minds begin to work, play, gather, or remember. And then we catch some of those thoughts, holding on to them long enough to put on the page. Something even more magical than writing in isolation is when writersContinue reading “Creative Writing Is a Gift”
Michelle M. Jacob 