Day won in the books. Everyone walked away a winner.

On the evening of July 10, 2007...

What a great night! People all ages came out to enjoy the first evening of The Time for Hope Gathering. There is something so wonderful about the community spirit here in Waskaganish. It seems like the easiest part of this gathering was getting the people to attend, unlike other communities where the task seems almost impossible.

The focus on the gathering is recovering from loss. This community, like so many others, have been faced with some difficult losses in the last year. So last night's focus was to acknowledge the loss, and with the creators help, let it go.

After last night, I felt like a better man.

Here is a shot of the letting go ceremony. The balloons represent our pain, loss, grief, etc. and the letting go of the balloons represent us setting ourselves free. What a moving event, there were many tears shed last night. This was led by Dr. Billy Diamond, one of the great speakers in the Cree Nation.

As you know, laughter is another healing tool. And since I'm such a tool, I was a perfect fit to bring some smile and a lot of laughs to last night’s festivities.

I got paired up with a buddy last night, her name is Minnie Weistche. I tell you, it was meant to be, she has a great sense of humour.

Here I am with Daisy "The Dragon" Stephens. This shot was taken before our official photo, but I like this one better.

Why am I wearing white? It was wear white night. I usually have a hard time wearing a white shirt, due to my dark brown cree nipples poking through. It rained a bit last night, and I went running for shelter. My little friends would have really came screaming through my shirt then. "Look at me, I'm brown and beautiful." Stand down boys, stand down.