stacking stone..

today was our last day traveling through the province of ontario..
marilyn and i decided to build a small inukshuk (inuksuk) ~
honoring first nations..bidding adieu to mother lake superior....

inukshuk is a stone figure..
the inuit make inuksuit (plural)
in different forms for different purposes..
to show directions to travellers,
to warn of impending danger,
to mark a place of respect,
to act as helpers in the hunting of caribou,
to guide travellers ..home..

stone figures were made
all over the world in ancient times;
the arctic is one of the few places
where they still stand...
and all along the trans-canada hiway in ontario....

we had stopped for a picnic lunch..yes!
we found a table..many tables..
on the bank of eagle lake..
just as we were finishing our carrots, hummus and pumpernickel,
we were greeted and blessed by a family from afghanistan..
now living in canada..toronoto.. vancouver..

after piling our inuksuk on the stone outcroppings,
we offered our intent and prayer..
that all peoples will find their way home..
that all peoples will snestle in the home of their very own hearts..
that all peoples will recollect one another..
and know them as themselves..

an inukshuk can be small or large,
a single rock, several rocks balanced on each other,
round boulders or flat stones...
our inuksuk was misshappen, wobbly and handsome..
looking like a crooked olde coot..
ordinary and extraordinary..
we saluted him as we drove away...

inuit tradition forbids the destruction of inuksuit...


let's take a better look
beyond a story book
and learn our souls are all we own
before we turn to stone

let's go to sleep with clearer heads
and hearts too big to fit our beds
and maybe we won't feel so alone
before we turn to stone

i know that i am nothing new
there's so much more than me and you
but brother how we must atone
before we turn to stone
~ ingrid michaelson