Your Stories

Shared by: Mariam

I am from books
From journals and music
I am from safe and cozy
and mine
I am from grass
Whose mine
I am from brick and mortar
From Abbu and mamma
And from brave and resilient
From perfectionism
I am from eating together
From daal and chawal
From flight
And from crash
Holding his hand
I am from the moments that have made me who I am

Shared by: Memengo

I am from love
From the language and teachings from my elders
I am from the land of the unceded
and where many have come before me
I am from the field of sweetgrass
Whose aroma brings calm and joy to all
I am from fish and moose
From Wabikijik Inini-bun & A long line of strong Algonquin Kweok
And from knowledge carriers and lost ones
From people that don’t know how to love fully
I am from feasts and ceremony
From bannock and rabbit stew
From day schools
And from walking a dark path to one of light
In my bundle lies my smudge bowl and my eagle feather, gifted to me from my grandfather – my rock
I am from the moments stolen from my ancestors but I will break this cycle

Shared by: Emily

I am from cookbooks
From hockey equipment and a backyard trampoline
I am from late night whispers from the bottom bunk
and the middle seat on the bench around the dinner table
I am from the rooted pine trees
Whose trunk sways in the breeze flexible and free
I am from tea biscuits and sugar cookies
From Betty and Eileen Rose
And from Fiercely independent and dependable women
From playful stubbornness and Joe hugs
I am from silly girls singing at the top of our lungs
From friday night pizza and homemade birthday cakes
From 97 years on the earth
And from big screaming, crying, loving families
pride in one another
I am from the moments that we choose to remember

Shared by: Louise

I am from yardsticks and leather belts
From disinfectant fumes and scrub brushes
I am from various houses with different rules
and varying degrees of warmth
I am from licorice scented ferns
Whose finger-like fronds tickled my legs
I am from sea glass and barnacles
From Romuald and Josephine
And from secrets and lies
From inconsistencies and uncertainties
I am from hand-me-down clothes and rosary beads
From tourtiere and la galette
From tales of my grandfather’s fluent Cree
And from my father’s prize fighting on the docks
Hugging my little bear at night, I imagined him a sheltering giant
I am from the moments between the rages and the horrors when I hid inside the books I found.

Shared by: Karly

I am from blue tricycle
From Ivory and Dawn
I am from blue and angular
and reflection in a pond
I am from cattails
Whose wave in the wind
I am from dolls and trampolines
From Pedlars and Hays
And from hardworking and sensible
From worrying
I am from baking cookies
From apple pie and roast beef
From moving into the chicken coop
And from raising a budgee with a broken leg
soft, white teddy bear
I am from the moments spent at the lake and petting my dog.

Shared by: Ugbath

I am from I am from The green bear
From From soccer to drum
I am from a place that’s bigger than a elephants
and from a place longer than a snake
I am from a maple syrup
Whose flew down a river
I am from rock and toys
From Mahad and Yasmin
And from Zahil and Zane
From Eid
I am from samosas and bur
From a lost ones
And from brave ones
When I was little I got lost I found my way back to my family
I am from the moments that never give up

Shared by: Mika

I am from beaded moccasins made with love from Kokom Sominis
From barking dogs and frozen harnesses
I am from Pemmican Portage a place of warmth and love
Saskatchewan River runs
I am from the Mountain Ash tree berries
Whose that came alive to dance in the wind to feed the Cedar Waxwing birds
I am from Moshums Pilot Biscuits, that Portage Granny buttered with love to feed me
From the McKays & Carriere’s a long line of ancestors
And from fighting spirits and bold spoken Swampy Cree words
From hard working, humble people
From the fine glossy beads of the rosary, making every decade count
I am from bannock and nipminana “Stinky Feet” jam
From shooting the first bull moose in the fall rut
And from stretching and scrapping the moose hide until its smooth
I remember their hard working hands and good spirits
I am from the moments where family comes together to unify

Shared by: Josie

I am from Raggedy Ann
From walkmans and sundance
I am from the crystal clear waters calling my name
and bright blue tarps blowing in the rain
I am from the pure powder
Whose lift carried me high
From Rossignols and Gortex
And Aneke and Alice
And from the fiery and firm
From the explorers
I am Bells ringing Santa Claus
From stroopwafles and poffertjes
From a harrowing escape
And from the landing of a Hawker Hurricane
fly guys
I am from the moments that slip into the air – the smell of sweat and sweet.

Shared by: Kaden

I am from Orillia
From Paris and Italy
I am from wealth
and well to do
I am from moss
Whose walking across the land
I am from rocks and a bat
From Italian and French
And from self learners and explorers
From be nice and respect
I am from Christianity
From Panzanella and cassoulet
From Paris, France
And from Florence, Italy
Disney World
I am from the moments of sweet loving memories and time well spent

Shared by: Tristan

I am from apple
From Zellers’ chocolate milk and fruit bottom yogurt
I am from paved streets
and with too many cars to count
I am from the white, pink roses
Whose groomed and petted by neighbors
I am from sponge and paint
From Adam and Welch
And from forgetfulness and stubbornness
From jack-of-all-trades
I am from fuzzy peaches at church
From jambalaya and popovers with gravy
From fathers that run away
And from fathers that differ, change and grow
Frosty after soccer
I am from the moments garage sales and slushies

Shared by: Jakub

I am from a toy helicopter
From a Spiderman piggy bank and a Lego set
I am from a home with a chocolate shop under it
and a quiet home
I am from a tree that was planted the day I was born
Whose arms sway in the wind
I am from Jim the rainbow sock monkey and the xbox 360 at my grandmas
From Candice and Chris
And from being forgetful and bad at geography
From being clumsy
I am from visiting Toronto to see my grandma
From Talapi and chocolate from the chocolate shop
From when my grandma owned a flower shop
And from when she moved to Scarborough
My brother threw a rock at my head
I am from the moments before I moved from Toronto

Shared by: Joshie

I am from toy cars
From water guns and juice boxes
I am from sleeping with a night light shining bright
and the darker of my other home
I am from old birch trees I used to climb
Whose leaves I saw as hair
I am from bikes and scooters
From mom and dad
And from old promises and last goodbyes
From the gatherings my family has
I am from sunday school
From pasta and potatoes
From the restaurant my grandfather went to
And from the man my grandmother went back to
Staying up to watch TV
I am from the moments good and bad, pretty and ugly, that made me

Shared by: Callum

I am from hockey sticks
From sparky sports
I am from a big city
and a friendly, warm inviting
I am from a maple tree
Whose red leaves shade us from the bright sun
I am from candy and a bike that rode so far
From Carole and Adam
And from family dinners and great laughs
From sports
I am from going
From pasta and salmon
From war
And from business
Stuffed animal
I am from the moments family tree

Shared by: Salina

I am from the aroma from the kitchen of my favourite muffins and cookies made from flower
From listening to stories from my storytelling books and thinking that I have superpowers
I am from making sand castles in my garden during rain shower
and the bright colour of my planted flower
I am from the cuteness of my pet hamster
Whose skills filled the room with laughter
I am from the stories and the movies played on the DVD player
From mother and grandmother
And from the lonely presents on birthday parties hosted by family friends and presenters
From the lovely moments made by the jokes of my grandfather
I am from the family circle of teachings of my culture
From the aroma of chocolate and rice pudding mixture
From the joy of helping one another
And from the teachings of kindness from my great grandmother
I am from the cold, spooky month of October
I am from the moments of happiness that were spent together

Shared by: Mackenzie

I am from plushies
From Hershey’s chocolate and the broken tablet we all shared
I am from the old rusted gate
and the creaking stairs at night
I am from the wonderful lavender tree
Whose now broken arms seemed to reach out to the sun
I am from the collectable coins and rocks
From Phoenix and aunty Annette
And from the goofballs and jokesters
From the kind and caring
I am from the family thanksgiving dinners
From cooked turkey and brussell sprouts
From the great boat trip taken by my grandmother
And from the trip that put my father’s leg in a cast
The playing cards I’d always get for my birthday
I am from the moments will never be forgotten, becoming a part of me

Shared by: Mohammad

I am from firetruck car
From my cars and flower plants
I am from sunny
and a very big house
I am from potato plant
Whose tall and healthy
I am from bed and tablet
From Ali Hassan
And from loving and kindness
From playing and joking
I am from fasting
From Dolma and Kunafa
From buying their 1st car
And from buying a house for my parents
I cracked my fingers so hard that I couldn’t write for 2 days
I am from the moments falling in a dream

Shared by: Trinity

I am from a sketchbook
From paper and pens
I am from a bright lovely place
and filled with tears and hard work
I am from falling leaf
Whose alone and flying
I am from pens and paper
From Sekleskis and Larkins
And from hard workers and born leaders
From kindness
I am from secret Santas
From mashed potatoes and pecan pies
From the great depression
And from world war 2
Stuffed animals
I am from the moments of love and hard times

Shared by: Suhaib

I am from my childhood photos
From sticks and playdoh
I am from safe decent comfortable home
and a place of tranquility
I am from big sticks taller than me
Whose weight, shapes or swords
I am from shaping tinfoil into sword shaped objects
From Ali, Hilowle
And from very interesting, not 1 dull moment
From energy everlasting
I am from praying fasting together
From pancakes, pasta
From they moved from Somali to Canada
And from my mother and my father came in different times
I remember keeping myself company by doing random things
I am from the moments where I drew while other people had social interactions

Shared by: Erin

I am from white nursing blanket adorned with blue, yellow and red balloons
From white porcelain dolls staring at me from the closet and sea shells hiding the sounds of the ocean
I am from cardboard boxes hidden in the basement
and constant sounds of screaming downstairs
I am from grandmas tulip garden
Whose colours taught me about responsibility to creation
I am from red caravans and hockey skates
From Tehkarihoken and Bragg
And from cold love and green thumbs
From repeating stories
I am from reading the bible on Christmas
From turkey stuffing and cobb salad
From abduction in 1927
And from between two worlds
Jeopardy at grandma and grandpas
I am from the moments tending the garden, fishing the lake, trauma blackout