FACING THE STORM

Bison are courageous and brave...known for walking head first into the storm. A storm has been brewing for months now...

In addition to owning and operating Ginew, we are both physicians. Amanda is a women's pelvic cancer surgeon and I am an inpatient hospital physician. The past couple of weeks have been consumed with planning and preparation for a storm unlike anything we have ever seen.

After patients were seen at the hospital this morning, we spent some time planting the traditional foods garden kept on hospital grounds. No students or volunteers are allowed on campus at this time..thus we accepted the responsibility for keeping the ways. Traditional foods are vital to our beliefs and teachings...and making time to reflect on the lessons each of those seeds carries brings me strength. Our communities - tribes - have been through some tremendously difficult times - nevertheless, someone kept going...kept leaning in...kept on with the traditions. In the face of epidemics that nearly wiped us out, forced removal from our homelands, and times of persecution and war...community members kept growing and gathering our traditional foods. At times, they may have been uncertain...they may have faced a looming storm...yet they persisted to keep the ways for future generations.

We all know it - a storm is brewing - and in many places the storm is on and bringing fury. It is vital that we all lean into this storm - walk head on equipped with the determination to see it through...and to each do our part - be it in the hospital, community, or staying in our home...to ensure as many of us make it through the storm as possible.

Both of us are are deeply grateful for all those tasked with the difficult work of caring for us during this time. Healthcare staff and teams are heading into this storm - lift them up, support them all you can, tell them you love them...

TEAM...see you in the eye of the storm. Maamawichigewin "we do things together"