On occasion, a Facebook post has the power to shine a brillant light, to offer a profound and even transformational moment – a needed connection… today that happened when I read these words from the Native American Heritage page.

“Do not chase every light

that calls your name.

Some lights only want

to see you burn.

Be like the moon.

Bright,

but never begging

to be seen.

Our grandmothers taught

that power is quiet.

It does not shout

across the valley.

It stands,

it listens,

it knows when to rise.

There will be people

who only love you

when you are easy.

Let them pass

like dry leaves in wind.

The ones meant for your circle

will honor your spirit

in every season,

when your hands are full of song,

and when your heart

is learning how to heal.

Do not be ashamed

of your softness.

The river is soft too,

yet it shapes stone.

Do not be ashamed

of your sorrow.

Even the night sky

carries darkness

so the stars can speak.

Remember this.

You do not belong

to fear.

You belong

to the earth,

to prayer,

to the old songs,

to the breath

that kept your people

walking forward.

Raise your arms

to the heavens

if you must.

Cry if you must.

Begin again

if you must.

But never forget

who you are.

You are not small

because the world is loud.

You are not lost

because the road is hard.

You are a living memory.

A flame with ancestors behind it.

A promise

the Creator did not abandon.

So walk gently.

Love deeply.

Speak truth.

Protect what is sacred.

And when life asks

who taught you

to stand in the dark

without breaking,

tell them:

The moon.

The earth.

The old ones.

And the fire

still live in me.”

From Native American Heritage Facebook page post March 12, 2026