Kindness & The Beauty of Nature

June 16, 2026 | Image of - Ruth's Golden Aster 

The single most profound act of kindness that I will never forget 

When I lost my beautiful mother on October 5th, 2024 I was devastated. I was in shock. She was the most important person in my life. We were really great friends & I never thought that that day would ever happen. I didn't reach out to anyone at the time. I was moving through life like a zombie. I was on autopilot & I prayed for my beautiful mother to wake up. Breathe. "Mommy, please open your eyes & come back home to me." She never did. 💔😭😢

I shared brief moments on X & prayed that they would reach my mother. Her name is Marlene. She is Muckleshoot & Puyallup. Her mothers name is Alvina from the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe. Her fathers name is George & he is from the Puyallup Tribe of Indians. My mom was the baby of the family. She was nicknamed Monk from her dad because she would always climb trees on our family property at the bottom of our Rez. When her great-granddaughter learned of her nickname she began calling mom, Grandma Monkey. 🐒 Mom loved being their Grandma Monkey  😁🥰😊

"Mommy. I miss you." I'd write on X. I shared special moments about her. I'm just me. I'm not a big name in the world. I'm not an influencer. I'm not a famous writer or actor. I'm just me. Yeah, I'm connected to a lot of people on X, but I'm just another person they follow. Does anyone truly read another person's feed every single day. I don't think so. Not unless you are a major celebrity & there's something major happening in your life. But, I was wrong. 

Someone in the state of Tennessee was reading my X comments. Mine. I'm a Native American woman from a tribe in the Pacific NW & at the moment I was at the lowest point in my life missing my mother. Jenny, that's her name, reached out to me.

Prior to losing my mom, I was on X a lot. I'd occasionally see these posts online of these beautiful photos of the river & nature & I took notice more of those beautiful photos. I made comments on them about how beautiful they were & she'd respond kindly. It was Jenny's account. To me, she was living this wonderful life rafting on the water, exploring the mountains around her & visiting the local cafes. Something that I dreamed of. 😇 A country lifestyle by the water. Nature all around me. Being able to witness the beauty of nature & the change of seasons year round. 

I have certain medical issues so I'm unable to be out on the water anymore & Jenny was sharing photos & videos about her adventures on the water in Tennessee. My heart held onto the memories of when I was out on the water in our cedar canoes here in the Pacific NW. 

We didn't communicate personally, then. We left comments on each other's posts occasionally. But, it was sporadic, too. Then, came the night of October 5th, 2024. Right before mom took her last breath she was arguing with the E.R. doctor telling him, "I'm going home now. I'm going home to see my children." She was extremely feisty when she wanted to. The doctor/s wanted to keep her in the hospital for observation. She was screaming at the doctors telling them that she wanted to be home with her children. Then, she agreed to stay inside the E.R. room at the hospital & allowed them to begin doing different tests.Then, it might have been a mini stroke. We don't know for sure. But, after that moment she was gone. 😢😢😥😭😢💔💔💔

I still can't put into words how incredibly painful it is to lose your mother. It's difficult to explain how drastically your life changes. I don't want to go any further into details about that night, but, when I got home I picked up my cellphone & tried to find something to watch. Anything, really. I had to put my efforts, concentration & mind elsewhere. I don't remember what I put on my cellphone. I was again on autopilot. I do remember wrapping myself up in this handmade blanket that my sister Yiyah made, and my eldest sister Joylene bought for me for Christmas the year past. I needed to feel their love wrapped all around me. 

I don't recall exactly when Jenny reached out to me, but, she offered her condolences. She asked me if there was anything that she could do to help me. She let me know that she was there for me if I ever needed to talk. Or, if I ever needed any help. She was a genuine blessing to me & I'm extremely grateful to her for all of her love & support.

I didn't talk to anyone in my family about losing my mom. We were all going through the same loss. We all had so much to do & very little time to do anything. During that time, when I got home each day after helping my sisters & aunties with the planning, wakes, dressing, viewing & funeral services I would come home & rest. Jenny was very supportive of me & a friendship grew from that moment in time. I would share with Jenny how I was truly doing. I expressed to her what I was feeling & experiencing & she listened. 

I truly believe that God, our Creator puts people in our lives for a reason. I believe that God put Jenny in my life to help me make my way through the loss of my mother. She was the emotional support that I needed to get through the most difficult week of my life. 🙏🏼🤲🏽💜✝️✝️✝️🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 Not only that, she was a really good friend to me. I'm grateful that we are still friends today. 

As a woman from The South Puget Sound & The Pacific NW, we both have a huge love for being on the water. We both love, respect & appreciate the beauty of nature. We both love Halloween & have birthdays in October. 🎃🎃🎃👻👻👻🎃🎃🎃👻👻👻 And, we both want to do good for the world, environment & for our communities around us. Jenny is such a beautiful person. Her heart is bigger than the universe. And, I'm so grateful to have her in my life. 

XoXo ⚘️ 

Love, 

Me