I'm Back!

Ha, didn't know I had gone?

Well, actually I did go somewhere for the weekend- Outlaw Ranch, for our staff retreat! This past week I had a great time at school, as we had a shortened week (not unlike most other weeks!) :) and I was able to look forward to the staff retreat...

b/f the staff retreat details, I must say that I had an extremely enjoyable Thursday- you know, the kind of day where you find yourself smiling for no reason (or every reason in the world)....and when everything falls into place better than expected and/or better than you could have planned? The kind of day in which I see God in all people, every situation. Thursday was a great day....

Which led into a wonderful retreat experience, lasting one day for most people, two days for the brave among us! My initial (and only) leadership involvement included leading ice breakers for the group, and after hours of googling and changing my mind, I decided upon "two truths and a lie" as a preferred icebreaker, which ended up to be quite successfull (at least according to those who enjoyed it....I suppose you don't hear as much negative feedback from friends, huh?) Anyway, glad to have that responsibility done, I thoroughly enjoyed the break-out sessions:

1. Stepping stones (during which we shared blessings and frustrations throughout our life, bringing us to Red Cloud).....a beautiful experience, really. 2. Tobacco ties prayer service....which I knew little about before participating, yet this again was a way in which I truly sensed God's presence- as we learned the significance of each color of tie (again, black, yellow, red, and white)....and the prayers which were offered for each color. Each person grabs a pinch or handful of tobacco and proceeds to pray for a variety of things, giving up control of each thing into the hands of TUNKASILA (Grandfather) God... and one by one each person contributes their tobacco prayers into one strip of cloth (and thus their concerns and control), which is tied up, smudged with sage, and laid in the shape of a circle, w/ each tie as 1/4 of the ring. This experience was a beautifully tactile way of connecting people and elements of nature together in prayer. 3. Emmaus walk- during which we meditated on the passage of Scripture from the Gospels, when the disciples unknowingly walked with Jesus on the road following his resurrection, and we proceeded to walk around the beautiful hills with a partner, discussing our place in life currently, our hopes and frustrations, etc.

We finished the retreat 'requirements' with Mass, which led into dinner, and after two hours of table conversation (quite hysterical table conversation, BTW) we played handgames, another Lakota game which is evidently one of the oldest traditions within Lakota culture. It primarily consists of two teams competing for 'sticks' which are taken back and forth among teams based on whether or not the other team correctly guesses which hand the colored 'bone' is in. Okay, this seems to be an extremely difficult task-that is, trying to explain handgames- but basically, you want to be good guessers (or have accurate intuition), so you can collect the other team's sticks, and win! :) if you are interested in specifics, ask me, and I shall do my best to share! It was a great time, even if I did suck quite horribly! :)

The next morning of the retreat we shared in a talking circle, each of about a dozen of us...concerning the blessings and brokenness of our lives... and I found this time together quite moving and wonderful....learning from one another, truly listening to the stories of our hearts.

I feel as if this blog is boring. Maybe because I'm starting to fall asleep or something... HA. I don't know....anyway, I have a story...

Today a girl named Cody came into my office to chat after school, and although I don't know her extremely well, she complimented me on my organization skills, and my excitement to do different activities- and she ends with, "I think you're really cool." I respond appropriately with, "I think you're pretty cool, too! I love this job, getting to meet you all."... She smiles broadly, and I realize that it is moments like this that I will cherish- for amidst the times of uncertainty about my being here, I know that students like Cody do take notice of a genuine heart, which reminds me that my time is well spent (as I have had little opportunity to doubt recently)....

I am ending this blog- because I'm not entirely sure that anything is making sense right now. I thank you for your wonderful response to my blogging, and for being willing to reflect with me on my time in Pine Ridge.

Hopefully my mind shall be a bit more sharp the next time I write, for I'd like to explain more of my perceptions of youth interaction at a later time.... Oh you just can't wait, I know.

Em