‘Friendship’ – when it is real, oh what a powerful medicine it is! Some of my friends are trusted allies. They stand shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand with me when together, we fight for the rights of our fellow human beings and for the right water has to be cared for with the same vigour one might defend the most sacred items of a spiritual bundle.
I have friends, the best of the best, I trust in them to do their part in bringing success to ceremonies I conduct for my personal healing, as I in turn would do the same for them. I live with chronic pain, at times it gets excruciating. I need such a friend to be there then, when I feel I have arrived at the edge of my tolerance of the throbbing pain in my lower back. Thank goodness for such a friend.
You are fortunate indeed if you have a friend whose life’s passions are in line with yours, especially if their spiritual beliefs melt into those things your heart holds sacred.
I have a friend I can rely on to talk to when my spirit is down. She is there for me when my energy is in need of replenishment. She has been through much grief, agony and abuse in her life, yet nothing stops her from fighting the good fight.
I intend to write a play about ‘Friendship’. The play will tell about my friendship with Mike, a young Cree man I met years ago when I volunteered at St. Vincent Hospital. Mike was paralyzed from the neck down. Still, in the 9 years of our friendship (Mike passed away at age 44), I never heard him express rage or bitterness of any kind that such was his life. Mike was emotionally strong. It amazed me how a young man could have such a positive attitude about life at a time when his limbs no longer had feelings. He was so important to me as a trusted friend I could go to for advice on matters I was dealing with in the community. Mike was the master of corny jokes. An example:
“My cousin believes himself to be a chicken.”
“Gee, how long has this been going on?”
“10 years.”
“10 years? Why have you not brought him to a hospital long ago?”
“The family needs the eggs.”
The play will be about friendship and never taking the sensation of caress for granted. The play will flow like a gentle stream upon which poetry floats on its currents. An hour long tale of two friends, one a quadriplegic, the other a poet and spiritual guide. Spiritually, I took Mike with me when I went to places of ceremony, when I went into the lake to swim, when I stood in heavy pouring rain, when I felt the heat of sun upon my skin, he was there. I brought the caress of these things to Mike, spiritually. The play will tell our story.
I go to my forest prayer circle at least once a week. While there I express gratitude for life’s blessings. It is a fact that for me, ‘true’ friends are regarded as blessings, come into my life in the late winter of my time, to assist me, to keep me strong. The healing power of a friend is great. The energy vibrating from the heart of a friend is a force capable of chasing emotional distress away from one’s being. Friendship, what a wonderful medicine it is!
To my dearest friend, I know that you see yourself in the picture I paint of what for me, defines ‘friend’. This poem is for you:
Truest Friend
by Albert Dumont ©
If your wish
Was to be a turtle
Then I would wish to be your shell
For already
I stand to protect you
Like a shield
That heartache could never bend
And if your wish
Was to be an eagle
Then I would wish to be the wind
That carries you to the highest peaks
Of peace and serenity
For I am
Your truest friend
Keep the Circle Strong,
South Wind (Albert Dumont)
