Feeling our connections through historical trauma is a very sensitive topic I would say because of how uncomfortable the conversation can be. Our connections are everything and they are what shape us into the people we are today, events dating back to many years ago that affected our families can still have an effect on us generations later. Furthermore our lands, the soil we are familiar with, the soil we grew up on, the soil that grounds us to where we call home, some time ago our ancestors had to fight for it just so we could experience the love and joy within it. The appreciation of our lands should not go unnoticed because without our generations of family and their willpower we wouldn’t have half the things we possess today and that’s not something that’s usually talked about or even thought about. I experience my joy and appreciation of the land by simply living in it, in the moment, and not taking even the simpler things for granted. Loving my environment and the culture around my life is more than enough to show me that this isn’t just land, its generations of family, life, and love. Our connections takes us deeper than the surface level of what we are surrounded by on a daily basis, including the people. The people created the culture, fought for the land, and so much more, I appreciate the people of all cultures and backgrounds just as you would with your own family. Connecting with people is such a beautiful thing that we take for granted, I believe learning from other cultures that are not my own is a privilege because of how sacred the culture is. Their experiences are a lot of the time hardships but their love and respect for each other is highly respectable. Moreover and lastly history is everything, learning and growing from our past to improve and be better as a country to develop a better relationship through these connections is essential. Knowing what has been done to the marginalized people in this country is heartbreaking but it helps to raise awareness and make those situations less likely to happen. Having respect is also a big factor in history because we see what our ancestors had to do so we could be comfortable and happy with our loved ones. Learning and growing is what I love and need to do and I do that by appreciating my teachers and when loved ones share their stories of events that happened to them in their times.