Words of Wisdom from Grandmother Margaret

As many of you know I was part of the organization that brought 8 of the 13 Indigenous Grandmothers to Groton in October of last year.  It was an amazing experience and one that changed my life in very interesting ways.  Last week I was fortunate enough to be able to spend some time with some of the Grandmothers and had the most amazing conversation with Grandmother Margaret (Red Spider Woman).  We talked about our world and we talked about women beginning to step up in the world and how we need to help our young women know how to be powerful and walk in a good way.  The best part of our conversation was when she "saw" me.  She looked right into my eyes and I felt like she was part of my soul and her advice to me was this:  love well, love fiercely, and the rest is not your responsibility, let it go it will hold you back.  This is such good advice.  She reminded me that we cannot control anyone elses thoughts, feelings or actions.  We are only responsible for our own walk here.  And, as long as we are walking with honor and integrity we will always be okay.  Doesn't mean we won't experience pain, sometimes it is the great teacher.  But it does mean that all of our experiences are meant to teach us.  What I hear is that when looking into the face of darkness or dark painful experiences, imagine that you are experiencing grace unfolding to teach us of power and love.  Ponder that, huh?!