For the first time in three weeks or more, I managed 7.5 hours of sleep. I did not have any coughing fits last night. I feel rested and relieved. Crossing my fingers, I hope that I am on the mend. Since Christmas, I have been ill with colds/flu and now pneumonia for all but two weeks. A friend asked me if it was karma. I told him that I did not think so. I described my hectic travel and work schedule. Since that brief chat, I reflected. In the following note, I share with you my observations. The last time that I had this kind of lengthy illness was back in 1985. That year was tough on my family. In 1985, the Creator called Mom home. My brother went through chemotherapy to defeat cancer. I left a great job and a promising career with the federal government, as I could no longer work for a racist boss. For a second term, Soowahlie elected me as their Chief. Stó:lō Chiefs elected me to our National Executive. My young family grew by one with the birth of my youngest daughter. Certainly, 1985 was an eventful year and upon reflection, I can easily see that my body demanded rest and when I refused to yield – I became very sick. In June 2010, I concluded my term with the First Nations Summit Executive. Union and FNS Chiefs decided to restructure our health council and committees. The STC leadership appointed me to the newly restructured First Nations Health Council. At the founding FNHC meeting on June 23, 2010, the members asked me to chair the initial meeting. During that meeting, the Hon. Leona Aglukkaq called me to tell me that the federal government approved our tripartite agreement. This meant that we would begin the heavy lifting to complete the monumental task of transferring the FNIHB Pacific Region from Health Canada to the BC First Nations Health Authority. Looking back, I see that we moved a mountain of work in two short years. We completed the transfer of FNIHB Pacific Region from Health Canada to the BC First Nations Health Authority. The First Nations Health Council, First Nations Health Authority Board of Directors, CEO, and staff members worked together to move this mountain of work. We accomplished this monumental work because of the historic consensus decision made by BC Chiefs. The work to create a better world for our children and grandchildren is hard work. We cannot achieve change by ourselves. We need the help of like-minded, healthy, strong, and good partners. It took dialogue, debate, and resolving disputes to achieve healthy partnerships with Canada, the BC Government, and Regional Health Authorities. My dear brother, respected FNHC Elder, Cliff Atleo Sr. told us that with the completion of transfer – we completed the easy work. Cliff told us that the hard work begins now. At first, I thought, wow, the work of the past three years – easy. After we talked it through, I understood the wisdom our dear elder. Gramps, Dad, Mom, and my Uncles taught me that if a job is worth doing then it is worth doing right the first time. With the creation of the BC First Nations Health Authority, we have given ourselves a very powerful gift. We are demonstrating to our children and grandchildren that the work of creating a better world belongs to us. We are demonstrating to ourselves that anything that other governments do for us – we can do better. So what did I discover during my reflections this past several weeks? The achievement of personal wellness is a journey. Some of the trails on our journey are more challenging and difficult than other trails. When the journey is challenging and difficult – we must take greater care of ourselves. These challenging times will keep us from maintaining balance between work, family, and personal time. In challenging times, we must find personal time for family, exercise, meditation, and reflection. A healthy body requires healthy foods, exercise, and REST! When we make our way through a difficult and challenging trail – we need to take the time to celebrate this accomplishment. We need to give ourselves a rest, enjoy healthy foods, exercise and to be present with our family. We need to reflect, learn, and then plan our next part of our journey. If I do not to rest, to reflect and to learn then my body will find a way to make me rest. Twice in my short 53 years, my body asserted itself by becoming very ill. The illness forced me to rest, reflect, and to learn. While I am a loving and caring parent – I am a flawed parent. I have put away grief and sorrow. I have healed from many past traumas. Now, I am loving, caring, and healthy Big Papa. I want to enjoy great Grandchildren. This means that I must take greater care of myself, especially, when I am on challenging and difficult trails. We made it to the top of the mountain. We can see the journey ahead. It will not be easy. We need one another. We need the help from good, healthy, and strong partners. By doing the easy work, we prepared ourselves for the hard work. The journey to Healthy, Self-Determining, Vibrant Children, Families, and Communities is a challenging and very difficult trail. Together, we will work with our partners and we will change the world to be a better place for our children and grandchildren. Dk:
Posted on: Sun, 09 Mar 2014 16:22:57 +0000
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