Retirement

I have got to slow down more, I am thinking to myself as I am yet again running for a ferry. Rushing and trying to fit in all the things seemed to be a key feature of my regular work life and here not even two weeks out, the pattern continues to exist.

Will we get through the long list of tasks before we set out? Who knows? Likely not. We will have to prioritize and let things go, put attention where it needs. What I want in this new stage is to allow myself to change rhythm, slow down, notice more.

In the Indigenous world, one way to mark a transition to a new way of being is ceremony. The Coast Salish people honour people for a lifetime of work through blanketing. I have participated in these ceremonies as a witness, as a family member following protocol, as a person doing the blanketing, as a speaker. My Musqueam Elder Doris Fox (and I hear her voice here) said it was to be a rare event, to lift people up, to let them know they are protected by ancestors, to honour a lifetime of contributions.

And so as I ended my days at Kilala Lelum, I was the one blanketed. It was a deep honour to stand beside my Elders Bruce, Betty, Sharon, and Sandy, ceremonialists in our community, and the staff I’ve lead and walked alongside. I felt their love and respect as they walked me on to the cedar boughs placed on the floor. Wendall sang and drummed, and I felt the blanket being shook out behind me and then gently placed on my shoulders.

The blanket the blanket - a beautiful Pendleton with whites and blues in a killer whale and ocean design by Musqueam artist Susan Point. I felt all the love of all of my teachers, all my relatives and ancestors in that moment, there in the room. The protocol is 4 witnesses to speak and share what they see and know: Thank you Vicki, Sue, Rita, Lance for your words. Grateful to Luke and Laurie for carrying the ceremony when Shane couldn’t be there. Gratitude to the staff for their beautiful thoughtful words that reminded us of the importance of presence, listening, seeing another person and lifting them up. I felt proud of all of us in that moment. I felt the love, and the coming together as one, the Musqueam teaching of nutsamaht.

Separation is hard now and there is grief that goes with it. I am thinking now of my Musqueam friend/brother/uncle Shane whose funeral I attended on Sunday. I had worked with him for almost 3 decades, he a cultural mentor and as a friend, when we would share our triumphs, family concerns and musings. I will miss him greatly and I am endlessly grateful for the time I had with him.

I have been so lucky to work with such beautiful people and be a recipient of so many teachings. And though I am embarking on something new, surrounding me is a beautiful blanket of love and honor that represents the relationships and family past, present and future.