|
|
|
This week we had our spring storm, it snowed and snowed and snowed. It was so great, we stayed inside most of the time Netflixing, playing games and enjoying the break.  I was driving home from one of my many travels and noticed it was almost 9pm and it was still light outside. I love the longer days and soon the greenery that will suddenly appear. Spring brings with it the beginnings of light and growth into this world. So very grateful.  Love this cartoon...... 
0 Comments
My colleagues and friends, Collete Elko and Verna Wittigo, work in Health Promotion in High Prairie, Alberta. The week of May 1st-5th, 2017 is Mental Health Week. They are planning some sessions for that week and invited me to participate. I am so looking forward to this. I will be presenting a new workshop I developed called Health, Hope and Healing. It is about Mental Health but from a positive perspective. This is about what helps a person and the strategies that might be beneficial. I am working on some positive workshops and I am pleased to say that this will be one of them. Once I have piloted this workshop a couple of times. I will be offering to the public on a regular basis...yay!  CMHA-Edmonton Region has some workshops that I will be facilitating this spring. The first, in a series of three, is a workshop called Little Cub. If you work with Indigenous children, this is the workshop for you. Please go to the CMHA Edmonton Region website to register. Thanks!! Little Cub is a 1-day, discussion-based workshop examining suicide prevention in Indigenous children and communities. The Little Cub Workshop draws heavily on storytelling and oral tradition. It begins by recognizing the unique precipitating factors of suicide in Indigenous communities and moves through to identifying risk and protective factors in children 12 years of age and younger. The workshop finishes by empowering participants with knowledge and tools to transfer the care of a child at risk of suicide to a community-based resource person. It is recommended that participants of this workshop also attend the 2-day ASIST workshop for skills-based suicide intervention training. Workshop Topics include:
This workshop provides information and offers practical approaches for those working with Indigenous children who may be at risk of suicide. The precipitating factors of suicide are different in Indigenous communities than in the general population. Information provided is appropriate for beginner and intermediate social work practice. Certificate All participants will receive a participation certificate upon completing 7 hours of instruction. Workshop Dates April 18, 2017, 8:30 AM-4:30 PM Fee $175.00 per person  I found this article "10 mindsets that will help you become successful" by Ludovica Tronci and it makes great sense to me. I believe the way we see ourselves and our ability to cope in a healthy way makes all the difference. I hope they make sense to you too....enjoy.
1. Take Risks No one succeeds by just staying cozy in their own comfort zone. Be brave, stand up for what you believe in and take risks when you need to. 2. Set Your Goals And Act With A Purpose Once you know what the ending result is and what you’re working for, remember to always act with a purpose. Once you have a clear vision of your goals it is easier to stay focused. 3. Choose Courage Always choose courage over fear. You don’t know what you’re really capable of if you constantly refrain yourself and set your own boundaries. 4. Don’t Mind The Others Everybody is walking their own path at their own pace. Don’t think about what the others are achieving, and why they’re achieving it earlier than you. Focus on yourself instead and put all your determination into your project. 5. Choose Good Company Surround yourself with successful and ambitious people that share your same mindsets. They can only lift you higher. 6. Don’t Panic No one truly knows what they’re capable of, nonetheless, they try and give it a shot. No one really knows their ceiling so if you think you’ve set the bar too high, don’t panic about it but instead prove everyone (yourself included) wrong. 7. Do The Right Thing Success is not really about doing every single thing right but instead, it’s about doing the right thing. Choose an area of focus, work hard on getting results and don’t think about the rest. Not everything has to be perfect. 8. Fake It ‘Til You Make It Confidence is always a good choice. Be proud of your choices, think big and one-day success will knock on your door. But first, you have to believe in what you’re doing. 9. Choose What Matters To You Success requires dedication so once you’ve set your goals, dedicate to them all the time needed. It’s certainly not going to be easy at the beginning and you will have to make sacrifices but it will all be worth it. 10. Be Grateful Gratitude is what will bring you far in life. When you’re upset and are not achieving a result, look back at your past and think about all you’ve done to be in the position that you’re in. Be positive, proud of your choices and grateful.  Hello my dear friends,
It's been so, so long since I have posted on my adventure blog. I have been away on a personal journey of grief and loss but now I am back! I'm feeling better, still have moments of grief but they are normal and part of learning to integrate those losses. I thank those of you who have been here with me supporting and lending a listening ear. What else have I been doing you ask. I have been working on delivering workshops and creating more…yay! CMHA Edmonton Region has scheduled their dates for the 2017 ASIST and ASIST Tune-up Workshops. They have added one workshop each on Tattered Teddies, Little Cub and Walk With Me. I am thrilled that they want to give these workshops a chance to grow in the Edmonton area. I sincerely hope we have many participants interested in attending these valuable sessions. I now have a three day "Traditional Parenting Workshop" This workshop examines the way we have incorporated our traditional and historical beliefs, how we have been affected by colonization and what are some parenting ways we have continued to hold on to. On-going development of various social issues sessions such as anger management and family violence. Traveling across Alberta and parts of Canada has been an extraordinary experience for me. I have been blessed and am so grateful for my experiences. Well that's it for now. I am going to attempt to blog every week so look for me on Mondays. Thanks and please comment. I would love to hear from you. Sometimes I feel like saying "Is there anyone out there?"…have a wonderful week. 
  It's October already, my,where did the time go? I love Autumn. The falling leaves looks so beautiful in their yellow and red splendour. The smells as I take walks through the trees are comforting. Thanksgiving this month and Halloween are both my favourites. Family times and great adventures with the grandchildren. Conversations, the changes to Mother Earth, costumes, painting, knitting and the comforts of home are things I look forward to this season.
Like everything else in life, you do the best you can with what you have. I am so grateful for this life and where I am at in the Universe. Creator, grandmothers, grandfathers, I thank you. Hiy Hiy. 
September 10, 2015 is World Suicide Prevention day. I think that this day can be a time we stop to remember those we love who have died by suicide. I plan to light a candle on that day, with prayers and thoughts to survivors. You could talk to someone about the risk of suicide or just remove the stigma by talking about it. When my children were adolescents, I told them like I have done many, many times that I loved them. I also said that if they ever had thoughts of suicide to talk to me or someone they trust. Problems are temporary and there is a solution for every problem there can be.
I am facilitating a workshop on that day, as I have done in the past. This workshop is called "Hope for Life: Helping others through tough times." It's a two hour information session and hopefully will generate a lot of discussion of how to help. If you are in the High Prairie, Alberta area come down to the Provincial building. The workshop if free. There are other initiatives in ALberta that you might find helpful. Keep him here is a campaign initiated by the Injury Prevention Centre, Here's the website: www.keephimhere.ca and this year's vimeo
The Centre for Suicide Prevention, based in Calgary, Alberta is also marking World Suicide Prevention Day by launching their initiative, "Passport to Living" for more information check out their website: www.suicideinfo.ca.
Also wanted to post the workshops that I have done on September 10th for the last two years. It's been my honour and pleasure to offer support to help people who might be having thoughts of suicide or who are survivors dealing with loss. As communities, we CAN make a difference. Thank you. Hiy Hiy. 
 This year, in May, my brother died. He is the second older brother in my life that has died and sometimes I get overwhelmed with my grief. I have no more older brothers physically alive, but their spirit lives on. When I was growing up, my two older brothers were my protectors and my friends. I was a tom-boy and I wanted to do everything they did. I would go outside and they would talk me into chopping some wood. I would go with them to haul water from the well for our home and our grandparents. I would be their bat catcher while they practised their pitches. I would wake up and cook them food when they came home late. These are some of the flashback memories that I have. Grief can touch you at any time of the day when memories surface. Sometimes they overwhelm you and you forget what you are doing. Other times they bring a brightness to your spirit. These feelings are normal, they are part of the grief work we have to do in order to deal with the pain. I am so fortunate that I have my family and friends to talk to about my grief. I also have my culture, my spiritual beliefs that strengthen the core of me so I can deal with the pain of loss. Part of my grief is regret. As an adult I grew apart from my brothers. I didn't see them as often as I could have. Their lives went into directions that I couldn't follow or condone. They were a part of the intergenerational trauma we experienced as aboriginal people. The trauma my parents went through in residential school was passed on to their children and if, left unchecked, could affect our children and grandchildren. We didn't talk about our feelings and we didn't hug or say we loved each other. These were the experiences we were fed. As adults we can make choices but we need new knowledge to help us to change and stop it from happening to our children and grandchildren. I honour my brother's memories. I loved them and I will miss them for the rest of my life. I am grateful to have known them.   I have been fortunate to work with other's, particularly in the area of suicide prevention, intervention and bereavement. I have heard many stories of pain and loss but I have also heard the intention to help another person. It continues to be such a pleasure to hear these stories and to know that I am in an honoured place to hear them. I am so so grateful. The connections that I make with people are profound and it amazes me when I see the generosity of people's spirit or souls. I truly walk on sacred ground. I am grateful.   |
Priscilla LalondeI enjoy my work in human services, I enjoy traveling and meeting amazing people.    Categories
All
Archives
April 2017
|
RSS Feed