These Are My Relatives

When my oldest daughter Ricki Joy was dying from cancer, we were in the town of Mankato, Minnesota. Mankato is on the Southern border of Minnesota. The Minister of that hospital asked me if I would like a Minister of one of the churches to come and pray and give last rights. I said no. We are Native American. If you can find a Holy Man or Medicine Man that would be good. That Minister got the Holy Man from Pine Ridge Reservation to drive from the Dakota's to Mankato to Saint Joesph's Hospital.

I remember how calm he made us feel and there was such a peacefulness as we placed sage in the 4 corners of her hospital room. We hung medicine bags from her bed. We made over a hundred prayer ties of colors of the 4 great Nations of man. We filled the prayer ties with tobacco and then they were placed around Ricki Joy. We held hands and he started to pray. It was beautiful. Her death was beautiful. She gave up peacefully and before her last breath she looked at me. I was standing at the right side of her head, with my hand on her bald head and she mouthed the words "I love you." And she died.

Some parents never even get to say good-bye. This war, these children fighting it, some of them never get to say good-bye or I love you one last time. I was truly blessed that I could in a beautiful way.

I've added Ricki's Page to the side bar. It is a page I created in her memory.

With that I leave you this video of Pine Ridge...