It's my birthday, yay! My kids joined me for a song celebrating the water that gives us life.

“Fountain Of Life”

The Story

Last week I shared a song inspired by the Standing Rock movement, and here's another one with the same sentiment. It came to me on November 16, 2016, directly following an all-night tipi meeting there at the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. Just before sunup, my friends and I left the tipi and then zoomed across the country in a mad swirl, road tripping, like something straight out of a Jack Kerouac book.

A few days after our departure, we received some footage from our friends and family in North Dakota, documenting a brutal attack on the people there. The video you see here was captured by my brother's phone, relayed to me for editing. On the night of November 20, 2016, in 25°F weather, police shot water cannons, concussion grenades, and rubber bullets, striking at least three people in the face and head, all of whom were unarmed. Many people were hospitalized with hypothermia.

The subfreezing temperature is clearly seen in the icicles forming on the razor wire.

The Brilliance Of This Beauty

The Standing Rock story is told in myriad ways, and my personal preference is to highlight the Harmony, Love, Truth, and Justice. On the surface, the violence you see here looks like a war scene, but there's something that deserves a second look. In the middle of this conflict, by divine intervention, a Lakota warrior sings her prayer, amplified for all to hear. For a few minutes, the world stops spinning out of control. The dizziness ends. Everyone listens.

Brings tears to my eyes. Relatives, let’s focus on the miracles like this woman's song. Let’s focus on the music, and the power it holds. Let’s focus on the peaceful and prayerful people who took a stand at Standing Rock, many of whom continue to stand, protecting our world's life-giving waters, and sanctifying the natural resources we share. Let’s consider both the water protectors and the police officers, all of whom desire and deserve to live. Aho mitakuye oyasin.

For all of us Steemians, I offer this small collection of stills from my Standing Rock film footage. To me, these are simple glimpses of everyday heaven. Truly, there was a certain kind of utopia there, felt by all of us involved. The Standing Rock movement was a mystical and eye-opening experience for me, and I'm sure you will agree that there is an awesome array of color in the Rainbow Warriors of modern times. I am proud to be one.

The Lyrics

I carry a fountain of life
I can drink from it anytime
All I have to do is open my heart
A river runs inside

Holy Mother Father Child
In the river current
Row the boat with you and I
Here now in this moment

Water is life
Lakota say Mni Wiconi
Aho Mitakuye Oyasin
I honor all my relations

I offer my ever-loving gratitude
To the undines under the sun
All protectors of the water world
My vision for you is this:

Bliss
May you always have good health and happiness
May the hope inside of you come true
May you receive all you seek

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The Birthday Wish

My birthday wish is that we will all take a moment to slow down, look inside, and ask: “Who is my higher self, and what is my mission?” Hugs and high-fives to you and your family.

Love,

@cabelindsay