09/16/2025
The sun leans gently toward the western sky,and I feel the shadows stretch across the land like the hands of my ancestors,reminding me who I am.
So I pause.
I give thanks for this moment —
for the breath still moving through my chest,
for the drum of my heart that keeps time with the earth,
for the footsteps I’ve taken today,
and the ones still waiting for me.
If I have spoken in haste, help me find humility.
If I have stepped out of balance, guide me back to the centre.
If someone showed me kindness, let me carry it forward like a bundle of medicine.
I lift my thoughts now for those who walk in struggle —
those with cold homes and heavy hearts,
those with empty bellies or spirits worn thin.
Let my prayer rise like smoke to meet them.
Let my love stretch far enough to reach even the forgotten places.
To the young ones who feel unseen —
I speak to you now from the quiet of my spirit:
You are not alone.
You belong to this sacred circle.
You are needed in ways you cannot yet see.
Grandmother, Grandfather,
sit with me now.
Wrap me in your teachings.
Let me walk with gentleness,
speak with honesty,
and love without condition.
mîkwêc, Creator —
for the land that holds me,
for the waters that cleanse me,
for the life that flows through all beings.
I will walk forward in a good way,
until the sun meets the edge of the horizon
and the sky becomes prayer.
êkosi. So it is.
—Kanipawit Maskwa
John Gonzalez
Standing Bear Network