Hi Folks,
Here we are almost to the end of May. It is so amazing how quickly time flies. I have been blessed to have adventures in the last few months that allow me to see new places and meet amazing people.
I wanted to share with you a new workshop that I have developed called "Health, Hope and Healing". It is from an indigenous perspective and it's all about you and what is needed to maintain great holistic Physical, Mental, Spiritual and Emotional Health.
I often see and hear people refer to departments that deal with the individual aspects of the self. Our traditional teachings and stories tell us about looking at ourselves holistically and as we develop into birth, youth, adult and Elder's, we will continue to strive toward out balance as human beings.

I am not sure who to give credit to the picture of the Cree Medicine Wheel I added but I really like it. It adds teachings to it that might be helpful to someone.

Another important topic is our past. We, as Indigenous people, have a different history than Europeans. We need to talk about that. Not just intergenerational trauma but Intergenerational strengths. We have them, let's use them.

When I talk about grief and loss, in this workshop, I talk about healing. Not just from a individual perspective but also thinking about healing for families and communities. We are so interconnected to others that we need to heal these three aspects but finding the balance in keeping ourselves well at the same time.
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Thank you for taking the time to read this blog. I am grateful. Hiy Hiy.

1. Rise with the sun to pray. Pray alone and often. The Great Spirit will listen only if you speak.

2. Be tolerant of the people who are lost on their path. Ignorance, jealousy, anger, and greed stem from a lost soul. Pray that they'll find guidance.

3. Search for yourself, by yourself. Don't allow others to create your path for you. It's your road and yours alone. Others might walk it with you, but nobody can walk it for you.

4. Treat your guests in your home with consideration. Serve them the best food, offer them your best bed and treat them with respect and honor.

5. Don't take what isn't yours either from a person, community or culture. It wasn't earned nor given. It isn't yours.

6. Respect every little thing placed upon the earth.

7. Honor other people’s thoughts, desires, and words. Let each person express themselves.

8. Never speak of others in a mean way. The negative energy you put out into the universe is going to multiply when it returns to you.

9. All people make mistakes. And all mistakes can be forgiven.

10. Negative thoughts cause illness of the mind, body, and soul. Practice optimism.

11. Nature is not FOR us, but a PART of us. Animals, plants and every other living creature are all part of our worldly family.

12. Children are the seeds of our future. You need to plant love in their hearts and shower them with wisdom and precious life’s lessons. When they're grown, give them space to mature.

13. Avoid hurting other people's heart. The poison of the pain you cause will return to you.

14. Be honest at all times. Honesty and truthfulness are the tests of one’s will within this world.

15. Keep yourself balanced. Work out the body to empower the mind. Grow rich in spirit to cure emotional pain.

16. Make conscious decisions regarding who you'll be and how you'll react. Be responsible for your actions.

17. Respect the privacy and personal space of those around you. Don't touch the personal property of others – especially holy and religious objects. That's forbidden.

18. Be true to yourself first. You can't nurture and help others unless you can nurture and help yourself first.

19. Respect others religious beliefs. Don't try to force your beliefs on other people.

20. Share your good fortune with others. Also, participate in charity.

I love making vision or visualization boards. I enjoy looking at and reminding myself  about my plans or goals. I started making vision boards several years ago and have found them so helpful. My vision board reflects what my intentions are and what I would like to see happen in my world. The boards change from year to year, and that's good. Our goals and purpose in life should not remain exactly the same. Flexibility and new learning in life are absolutely necessary.
The pictures below are some examples that I found on Pinterest, there are tons more on that site if you are looking for examples of what your vision board could look like. I hope you decide to give it a try and see how it works for you. 2018 is just around the corner...might be time to start thinking about your goals for the year.

 These messages can be so inspirational and uplifting. One option that I like when thinking about your vision and ideas is to create a beautiful binder which holds your vision, etc. This is portable and can go with you or be tucked away when you need privacy.

I have also used this idea when working with women's groups or at a gathering of friends. Let me know if you decide to give the vision board/binder idea a try, you could even share in the comments section. I would love to hear from you!
Have a great week.

October is one of my favorite months. For one thing, it falls on the best day, Halloween. I have always loved Halloween. I remember going out with my brothers and sisters with painted faces and a pillow case and running through the small community I live in and try to get as much candy as I can. My brothers and other boys used to push down the outhouses...lol. They were the talk of the town the next day. We would sometimes have to fight, with some other boys who showed up, so they wouldn't steal our candy. They would try to grab the pillow cases and we would swing them around and yell as loud as we could. Then we would run home. That day was fun and exciting and scary. I passed on my love of Halloween to my children and my grandchildren. My granddaughter already decorated the inside of my house!
October means beautiful fall days that smell so good. I love pumpkins and candied apples. Thanksgiving is also this month and I am already craving some turkey. This is also a sad time because this will be our first year we celebrate giving thanks without my mom being there. I don't celebrate the traditional thanksgiving because it wasn't great historically for Indigenous people in Canada but I do enjoy spending time with my family and giving thanks for our amazing life. I am going to give thanks for my mom. I love her and I miss her everyday.
I started writing ideas for self care a couple months ago. I think it's a great idea to remind us to take care of ourselves. I tried to include fun things that everyone could enjoy. You can save it on my facebook page "aspenroadresources-priscilla lalonde".

I started working with FCSS Slave Lake to co-facilitate "Anger Education" groups. I attended the facilitator's training along with a wonderful group of people who are interested in providing anger education. They have both women and men's groups happening each week for ten weeks. I wanted to share this information with you in case you know someone who might be interested in attending. The groups will begin again in January, 2018. There is time to call, ask questions and/or register for this next group coming up. The contact information is on the poster or you can e-mail me to find out more about referring someone to the groups. Thanks!