National Day for Truth & Reconciliation- Sept. 30/24

When my girls got home on Friday, I was moved by the understanding they had about this day & the impact.

The first thing Zenley said when she got back from school was, “mom we need to pray.”

I asked her about what.

She said, “the kids who didn’t get to go to their school or bring their mom and dads and people made them go to their school and do it their way.”

Before I could answer, she just started praying.

Surprisingly, Stella closed her eyes and listened to her (opposed to her sometimes feelings of annoyance by her little sisters’ ideas).

After, Stella then said, “Yeah we had an assembly and they talked about the Phyllis story and I feel sad for her and them.”

Kids are a lot smarter than we often give them credit for, when things are explained at appropriate age levels. Attached are some activities and resources that I’ve focused on with them.

But I’m grateful to their school for facilitating their assembly, and deepening this understanding; beyond just asking children to wear an orange shirt to school, with age appropriate explanations

I was also truly inspired by one of the speakers that spoke at a recent Alberta Culture Day event- the event was not specific to this day, but his words (and humour) spoke to me. In receiving my own copy, and buying his book for another person, I’ve been moved by his poetry. But pertaining to this day, in particular, I want to share something that he wrote (attached).

Stella also noticed the cover of the book on my table and said, “I like this beautiful picture- is this book about the orange shirt day too? or is it for your class?”

It’s more than just one day- this is something we should care about everyday.

As I put my girls to bed tonight I feel even more blessed to know that I get the opportunity to do so, unlike many of our ancestors.

Unfortunately, we cannot change the past. But we can acknowledge, take accountability as a collective, and work on creating a better future & generation of understanding—it’s more than just orange shirt day. #NDTR #everychildmatters #orangeshirteveryday