A lot of thoughts and memories pass through my spirit.

When I was a little girl my Kookum Emily taught me some beautiful stories.

I remember making a little village with dirt making little hills for homes. I had some toy cars and was gathering ants and tryna run them over with toy cars.

Kookum came out and said "kahyahkstotimun" (not sure for spelling). Means "don’t do that", I said "why Kookum? What will happen?"

She said "Creator gave those ants same size spirit as you, they have the same right to live as you."

Later she took me for a walk to go offer tobacco and cookies too the ants. She prayed and would ask the ants to help her family to work hard in life. She said "creator gave the ants a beautiful gift to work hard and every year you have too walk and search for their big home (big ant pile) and offer them tobacco and food to pray for your own family."

Later on I was misbehaving again and stood on a chair and caught a butterfly in the house. My plan was too squish it and kill it my truth.

Again Kookum came n told in Cree ( don’t do that). Again I asked why, "Kookum what will happen?" She told me "Sometimes in the spirit world our moms and Kookums and Chapans miss their family so much so they beg creator to let them come visit. Creator gives them a short life as a butterfly just to see their children one last time." She said "What if that was my mom or Kookum and you're tryna kill them?"

So as a child I asked for forgiveness and never did that again.

From that point I was so happy every time I saw butterflies. She also told me the men come back as spiders and to remember the teachings.

My Kookum would take me for walks and talk about how all creation was given the same size spirit, they just choose a different body. She said "The trees are taller than you, but their spirit is the same size as ours."

That time I was tryna break a branch off a tree for nothing. She said "the trees are alive they feel pain just like us. How would you like it if a strange person walked up to you and broke your finger for no reason?"

I learn a lot from misbehaving. I learned a lot about having honour for all life and the understanding all creation is equal.

My Mooshum Willy told me Creator gave all creation ceremonies. The four legged, winged ones, water creatures, insects, human beings, tree people, medicine people, the rock people. Everything in creation has their own ceremonies.