I really appreciated this session with Lenore ThreeStars. In particular, it instilled in me a renowned appreciation for the interconnection of all things, which we can really lose in the Western world. I appreciated her share that when Native people ask: “Where are you from?” they are also asking “who are your people?” and incorporates an intrinsic understanding of interconnectedness and interdependence of people and place.

Her relational worldview and deep understanding that “we are all related” is something I think we all need to glean from. I appreciate how she said, “When I am considering new teachings, I ask whether this helps me become a good  relative. If my theology doesn’t help me become a good relative, then I need  better theology.” We tend to think that things are to be possessed / gained / extracted for my own personal good, which reminds me of the notion of sin as “the heart turned in on itself.” But if you have a mindset of independence rather than independence, you remember that we are all related – and because all things are your relative, no relative gets left out.

One practice that I took away from was to tap into our spiritual longing and yearning that we are all related to all parts of creation. We can intentionally acknowledge the intrinsic connection to the land by asking permission and offering a gift before taking something.

The day of this session, it was actually my anniversary; I had actually planned to plant a tree in my backyard. Listening to the session made me much more intentional about the process of digging the hole into the earth and planting the tree. I offered a prayer to the tree and to the land in a way that I wouldn’t have done otherwise because this session reminded me of the intrinsic connection and relatedness of all things. I want to move forward with a greater intentionality on “being a good relative” to all created things with a mindset of responsible stewardship rather than property ownership / extraction / independence.