Early Morning

Okay, Good Morning to all!



Hope everyone slept well and woke pleasantly this fine morning. I have to say, that while I may sound chipper, I am actually somewhat happy to be in clear avoidance of all sunlight during the majority of my day. I sit here in my office at the HQ and enjoy a no window view of things. Its just as well I suppose, because I would otherwise be shutting the window curtains constantly or the blinds...either way.



Onward and upward!



Headline for this morning is an old article I found online while I was looking for a phone number I should have memorized by now. *sheepish grin* The article in question is on the Oniyapi program and youth suicide in general on the reservations. Now, personally, I can account for and confirm many of the sad cases here on my reservation that have taken place. I personally, lost two sisters, a cousin, and many friends in the last wave of suicide. Its been rough, but we get through and since the last suicides, it has been fairly quiet.



Now, there is a pattern to this whole thing, the deaths stop and this spirit that some of the survivors claim to see is seen by people in the community leaving the area of the recent suicide completion or attempt. The spirit tells them things, kind of like, you would think an inner voice would say. It says all the things they want or don't want to hear. It says if you do this, you can see your friends who went before you or if you kill yourself, you can do what ever you want and be free. The creature is quite cunning.



Also, our tribe doesn't really help much with making things or creating things that we future generations can look forward to. I can honestly say that we totally live in the now and this is not a good way to function as society. You would think that with the amount of young ones taking their lives would jolt the council into action? NOPE! The council does nothing, leaving all the work to the few programs we do have to help combat this issue. Programs like the Oniyapi program and suicide prevention.



These programs are little tiny offices or a few workers at most hired to do whatever their grant funding will allow them to do, as the council doesn't really set aside money for things like this. And they are expected to be the knights of the round table and come and save those who are at risk. With limited means. Now don't get me wrong, these programs get the job done and should have been here a long time ago, but they have to make a solution for all the cases that sometimes isn't the best one. They have to generalize their programs to fit a uniform code of whatever, and you know, sometimes, people fall through the cracks of that code. My sister was one of them. Its harsh.



Yet, there are those workers who put in more than they get out and go beyond the call of duty for those at risk. For that, I am thankful. We need people who don't care about how much money is going to be coming their direction and who only do what they are told by their boss. We need people who can come up with programs and ideas that will be put into action as soon as possible. And to these program's credit, they even let outside people on the reservation share their ideas with them and sometimes, they take off and a great thing is done.



And you know, all it takes is a little time, a little effort, and a lot of heart. Its easy to rest at night when you can say, I helped out with this program and created something for those who need it to have it and I might have just saved a life. This is very true for many of our at risk teens, they come to the events and programs that are done by the oniyapi and suicide prev. programs and they decide not to die. Whether it be from the act of the event being put on in the first place, the speaker reaching them, or just knowing that someone gave a good damn about them and their life. Just to know that someone put a value on their life lets someone at risk know they mean something in this world.



And this world can be pretty cold and unforgiving. It is easy to lose sight in this place and to lose hope. What can we expect when we don't put hope out there for our young ones to see? We don't have hope if we don't have change. And we don't have change if we don't have leaders who see the problems for what they or don't take the time out to listen to their people.

Its hard. Its trying. It sucks. But much love and props to those who do the work and do it well. You help care for those who other wise would have no one to care for them. This means so much. Keep doing what you are doing and hang in there!

Being an optimist, I must say, that our better days are still to come. I can't let sight of that go. So I say again, our better days are still to come.

OKAY!

Now that I'm off my soap box and had my little say in the matters, we can move on to other things.

So....

In other news, I am getting ready to take over a huge undertaking at my university and I'm going to start a paranormal research society for those who asked for it. And we are a serious group of people, so its not something I do lightly. I was supposed to start it last year, but I waited to see if there would be others interested in it, and there is. There is a group of many out there who believe and who want to find out more. So more power to us and lets hope we get his set up properly.

I am writing a side project I still have yet to title and its on vampires. I am also writing a set of poems. I am going to post both here soon or at least samples for all to see. And DUN DUN DUN....I was able to collect a soundtrack listing for each! YAY!

Okay, well, that is it for now, I shall check in later and post my afternoon blog.

Much love and peace to all!

^*^TaSunke^*^