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with church-based programs, he said he couldn’t listen to religious takes any longer.
“I was automatically against it,” he recalled.
But then he re-discovered the spiritual approach to a harmonious life.
“We follow our traditional ways. It’s good,” he told them.
Sharing his experience when he started out on a spiritual path to recovery, he remembered how he hiked up to a high peak to watch the sun set and a full moon come out.
“It’s a very powerful experience. On the way down the mountain, I was skipping through the sand. It was like moon dust. It was sparkling,” he recalled.
He said that experience, and others like it, changed his life.
“It made me strive to do better; to treat my mother and my kids better. That’s what spirituality is about. It makes you want to do positive things,” he said.
Adding to Tsosie’s message, Thomas talked about Diné teachings of k’e, kinship, and hozho, living a balanced life, and how they helped the Diné during times of hardship and struggles.
“As Native people we have survived. We are still here,” he said.
Then, he presented the group with a musical avenue to a spir- itual path.
“This is a song for you, to soothe your lives and souls in this rush, rush life,” he noted.
“The flute is a spiritual path. I encourage everyone to find it,” said Tsosie.
The presentations hit home for Lee.
“I miss my mom, my dad and my little brother. This allevi- ates the loneliness. I’m ready to face the New Year,” he said.
Donald Runninghawk, from Pine Ridge, South Dakota, ap- preciated the day’s events, too.
“I liked it very much,” he said adding that his New Year’s resolution was to maintain sobriety for his children and grandchildren.
The Wellness Center, which opened last August to assist the homeless community, provides breakfast and lunch weekdays, a clothing bank, HIV testing, shower and laundry facilities, mail services, Medicaid enrollment, daily bus passes and employment resources.
Staff also refer clients to the parent organization, the First Nations Community Healthsource about three blocks west of the Center on Zuni Boulevard.
There, medical and social services, along with traditional healing ceremonies are avail- able.
The wrap-around programs have been an anchor in the city for 35-year old mom Laura Scoopmire, Diné.
Attending the event to show her support for those struggling with sobriety, Scoopmire said that the resources available at the Wellness Center have helped her establish a home in the city for herself and her two daughters, 2 and 15 years old.
“I renewed my Medicaid card, ordered a food stamp card, got back on the WIC (Women, Infant and Children’s) program and I’m getting my identifica- tion cards I need for job applica- tions,” she said.
Scoopmire has also received help in getting jobs through the Center’s job placement program.
“Now, I’m looking for a full time job and child care for Hai- ley (her 2-year old daughter),” she said.
As the event began to wrap up, Lee said that he would try to stay on the path of sobriety. But, staying true to his Dine’ upbringing and his military service that place a high value on honesty, he added, “I don’t want to promise anything, because if it doesn’t happen, it would be a lie.”
Lee left the Wellness Center as darkness began to fall, not knowing exactly where he was going to sleep.
But, before he left, with his smile measuring the room, he shook hands with those around him and said to each and every one, “Happy New Year!”
The All Nations Wellness Center is located at 6416 Zuni Rd, S.E. The First Nations Com- munity Healthsource clinic is located at 5608 Zuni. Blvd. SE. Phone – 505-717-2704.
Storyteller and flute player Andrew Thomas, Diné, relates traditional stories from Diné history to several community people attending the All Nations Wellness Center New Year’s sobriety event last Friday.
ARTS & CULTURE
‘Redress: Upcycled Style’ exhibit
FARMINGTON — The Farmington Museum announces the “Redress: Upcycled Style” trav- eling exhibit by Nancy Judd featuring couture fashion and accessories made by recycled items. Judd’s creations have been exhibited worldwide and accepted into the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution. The exhibit will be on display through June. Infor- mation: 505-599-1174
‘Technicolor Dreaming’
psychedelic poster exhibit
FARMINGTON — “Technicolor Dreaming”, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame collection of psychedelic posters from the 1960s, is cur- rently on display at the Farmington Museum. The collection features concert posters from American and British rock artists of the era. The exhibit will be on display through March. Information: 505-599-1174
MACfest in
downtown Mesa
MESA, Ariz. — MACFest will be held Saturday, Jan. 7, in downtown Mesa from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will feature creations from local artists, food, and live music. Admission is free and open to the public. Information: 480-644-6500 or http://www.macfestmesa.com