Caleb and I sit by the window in McDonalds, looking out at those who use the safe injection site in downtown Victoria. We haven’t connected for a few weeks so the conversation ranges over m...
I grew up extremely curious but cautious. I did not have very many places to really see or experience native culture, or at least First Nations culture on the prairies. A lot of the art and expe...
Last week I was given the opportunity to express my needs to a group of elders, lawyers and a judge. I’m very thankful for that opportunity and am even more grateful for the feeling that my voice...
This time of year has always been a little hard for me. Oh, sometimes it is okay. Sometimes I even like it. I enjoy walking in the forest when it’s fall, and the leaves are changing colour. ...
In spite of where I am and the position I’ve put myself in I feel optimistic about my life. Sometimes it’s hard, but because of my understanding of the Medicine Path, I can navigate situat...
I bear the primary responsibility for my actions. During my last relapse, it was I who left the recovery house. I picked up drugs at 4 am. I didn’t fight for myself. But recovery is not just a ma...
At what point does this all become an exercise in futility? My wheels have been spinning for almost 22 years now in the rut of this exhausting cycle, drug use, crime, jail, rehab. My life depend...
Caleb is now in the North Fraser Pretrial Centre awaiting an appearance in court.I was arrested three weeks ago in the municipality of Oak Bay in Victoria, B.C., my hometown. The arrest itself was pre...
Caleb, my son, is back in jail. After a three-month “run” on heroin, cocaine and other cocktails, he was picked up on a breach of the conditions of his release. No new charges; only the past with...
The tide was out, and the gulls were quiet, floating just offshore of Rathtrevor Beach. The tide would turn soon but, at this moment, the air was fresh, scented with just a tinge of seaweed, the breez...