My heart is full. It is the first week of The Auntie Way Writing Retreat Fall 2021 Sessions. My heart is full because I have the tremendous joy and honor of sitting alongside brilliant scholars and inviting and encouraging them to dream…what is it they want in their writing, their lives, their futures? I loveContinue reading “Full Hearts and Beautiful Dreams”
Author Archives: Michelle M. Jacob
Morning Lessons with Niní
The morning is quiet and calm. Niní (aspen trees) hold their pose, still as a photo, their slender white trunks and thousands of leaves remain static, perhaps in deep prayer at this holy time of day when Aan (sun) rises to light our way. Even magpie, blue jay, and squirrel, who so often use NiníContinue reading “Morning Lessons with Niní”
Back to School Hopes and Dreams
It’s back to school time for many colleagues and students. I have so many hopes and dreams for this school year. I’ll share them with you even though it feels risky to hope and dream amidst the ongoing pain, loss, and uncertainty of the pandemic. Yet, one of the lessons from the pandemic I’m carryingContinue reading “Back to School Hopes and Dreams”
Sounds of Summer
Last night I sat in my rocking chair on the patio outside my grandpa’s old home. Clouds had rolled in and the shade felt delicious. A cool breeze provided additional relief, and I think all beings were glad to get a break from the hot sun and smoky air. Maple tree leaves fluttered and dancedContinue reading “Sounds of Summer”
Smile at Dawn
I love the peacefulness of dawn. The air is cool and still. Birds narrate morning greetings. Squirrel chimes in with a loud song that sounds almost like laughter. Sky changes colors, tone, and brightness in what seems to me a masterful meditation practice. Trees stand absolutely still. Are they meditating as well? I hear woodpeckerContinue reading “Smile at Dawn”
The Sound of Freedom
Last night there were a lot of fireworks going off on my reservation. I admire the pretty colors on display, but I can’t stand the loud noise. To me, the explosions sound like guns and bombs; this is not the sound of freedom. Luckily, our more than human relations are quick, as always, to remindContinue reading “The Sound of Freedom”
What’s Your Vision?
Having a vision for one’s life is important. In my Yakama culture, we have always known this. We have old traditions of sending a child to find their power in the mountains, blessed under the watchful gaze of sacred Pátu (Mt. Adams), everyone secure in the knowledge that each child would have exactly the experienceContinue reading “What’s Your Vision?”
Pacing is Everything
I did my longest run of the year recently. Long runs are beautiful, wonderful, challenging things. Hour after hour of step, step, step, breathe, breathe, breathe, trying to remember when to take in fluids, calories. Deciding how much effort to put into each uphill and downhill. In long runs, as in life, pacing is everything.Continue reading “Pacing is Everything”
Intelligence of the Heart
I love watching the beautiful deer. So elegant and graceful in their pretty brown fur coats, black noses sniffing the ground–Mother Earth–beneath a clump of trees who stretch up and touch the sky. Another deer, a larger youth, has two tall nubs, still covered in fur, sprouting atop his head. With time, he’ll grow anContinue reading “Intelligence of the Heart”
Transformation
I went to town to buy myself a printer. I’m kind of old school and love working with hard copies of documents. In the printer box was a CD, to install it I suppose; I didn’t look carefully at it. I don’t have a CD slot on my current computer, so I pondered what toContinue reading “Transformation”
Michelle M. Jacob 