I could see the Invisible string of design...

I remember this day well it was May 25 1988 the time was 3:30 in the afternoon it was a pleasant warm day and I was helping my grandmother down a few stairs just five steps to go in to my basement suite, “Grandson what till you’re my age to feel what it is like to be my age”

I sat in the living room thinking of what she had just said; the five steps that changed my life; what I started to realize what she was teaching. Everything she said was laced in traditional knowledge, what she was saying had a secret teaching woven deep in the words an invisible thread that held everything together.

It was like how she beaded a glass ball, you could see the design but it was the strings that keep the bead in place so you could see the design. She came and sat on my couch and began to tell a story; when I was just a little girl my grandparents would tell stories every night by the wood stove some stories made me laugh some were scary but we always had stories.

 A longtime ago people in our village were hunting and gathering fishing and whaling we worked together everyone had a roll and a place in our community, even the old like me she said with a smile and a chuckle then she interrupted her story “Grandson I can’t wait to go home” again I could see the strings of her design; let me get back to my story she said.

The children played and the young ones played older kid games; it was a nice pleasant day much like today; then it was said a man came out of the woods he had a big belly that moved when he walked, “People I was in the woods and the land spoke to me gather your food gather what you can and go to the mountain” the children still played some stopped what they were doing and started to listen, some thought he was a not right in the head and continued to do what they were doing.

This man with the big belly spoke again; “Please hear me get ready for it will rain and rain the waters will raise and the village will be under water” He pleaded but he only got laughter from the people and some kids started to through rocks and stones at him; “We don’t believe you; you are a crazy old man with a big belly”.

A few of the elders got together and gave it more thought, “ He must be a seer” the elders said we better get ready; some of the elders got together  with the adults that also took the  man with the big belly words to heart, and they  got ready.

They gathered food things to make shelter, and extra clothes they were ready for anything; they were about to embark up the mountain; one to the elders said let’s try to convince the others to come with us; “People come lets go to the mountain before the village is covered in water, no one listened they continued to play games, and not prepare.

The ones that were prepared went to the Mountain and camped then it happened as the man with the big belly said it started to rain but this was normal and no one paid any attention to such things of Nature; and the ones in the village still went about their business. Then it started to rain more and more the rivers started to overflow the banks the water levels started to rise.

People who were not prepared panicked the water was rising so fast all some could do was climb trees but that was of no good as the water soon covered the tops of trees.

The only thing that did not have water covering it was the mountain; they’re the ones who had listened to the man with the big belly were safe with their supplies, the rain slowed and the water levels dropped and the ones that listened to the warring came down from the mountain….

Granny gave a little smile and a chuckle, got up and made her way outside I could see the stings that held the design together.