Wednesday, December 7, 2016

He Who Walks Among the Stars


From up here,
the world looks new,
peaceful, beautiful,
undamaged.

Down below live
people with holes in their hearts,
toxicity on their brains,
struggle on their paths.
They are longing for
wholeness and healing,
even if they don't know.
Down below,
looking up and dreaming,
live people
with the ability to
make the whole world new,
if they but choose.

One walks among them who shows
that it is possible to reach out
and do good
even in the midst of
one's own struggle.

He is a man
on his journey,
He Who Walks Among the Stars,
who told of one small boy's death
and woke his country up.
The chief thanked him for
"taking the time to care
about our people."

That is how we will remember him,
a man with time to love one small boy,
and, through him, a whole people,
before he takes his
walk among the stars.


Gord Downie, leader of the Tragically Hip, now on his journey through brain cancer, has just completed his farewell tour. Recently, Gord produced a short film called The Secret Path, a true story about a twelve year old boy who died while escaping from residential school in 1966. Yesterday, First Nations chiefs and communities gathered to honour him, with an eagle feather, a blanket, and the gift of his native name, Man Who Walks Among the Stars. Gord cried throughout the ceremony, calling it the best day of his life.

The link above will take you to the moving video of the ceremony.

for Midweek Motif's prompt: To write from the vantage point of someone in a flying machine, and also for Elizabeth Crawford's challenge at 1sojournal: Ability.


15 comments:

  1. A wonderful and true tribute. This is how the world can be healed, one story to another and the unity that follows: Looking down, looking up, looking at each other.

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  2. Keeping our eyes and curiosity open, allows us to walk in many worlds. Beautiful tribute, Sherry,

    Elizabeth

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  3. "One walks among them who shows
    that it is possible to reach out
    and do good
    even in the midst of
    one's own struggle."-- Every one of us is, in the humanity perspective, precious.
    That's a beautiful tribute, Sherry! Am going to read about him now. Thanks for sharing.

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  4. This is beautiful and a tear jerker too

    much love...

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  5. Your poem, the story...moving beyond words. Thank you.

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  6. Oh Sherry, you always enrich our lives and knowledge with your stories. Thank you for this beautiful one.

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  7. A marvelous and moving tribute.
    Thank you for this...

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  8. Very moving piece, Sherry. I don't think that I can watch the video, as I know it would be very sad.

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  9. A moving tale...that's it right, if everyone can change one life, the whole world will change...it has to.

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  10. this is deeply moving and equally beautiful Sherry...precious souls, though very rare do make a difference...

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  11. There are a few angels on this earth. Gord is one of them.Very moving video.I don't know if you are aware of this but Canada has the top school results worldwide in English.

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  12. Such a moving tribute, Sherry ❤️ those souls make a huge impact upon our minds and hearts.

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  13. As ever such dignity in your writing Sherry - and a sense of both frustration and hope in human kind.. if only we looked up more xo

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  14. How sad it is when we realize that so few people really care about one another or for our beautiful world treating the Earth like one huge yard sale to be grabbed and disposed of with little thought of the consequences.

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  15. A wonderful tribute, Sherry... Well-penned!

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