Today had me sitting with feelings.
I welcomed them in, expressed them and let them flow through me.
Sharing them with tūpuna and atua.
Through doing so I grew in the understanding that my whīra are their whīra too.
There is power in stillness — in pausing long enough to feel.
This reflection came to me in one of those quiet, tender moments.
It speaks to the experience of sitting with our whīra — our feelings — instead of pushing them aside or numbing them out.
It is about learning to welcome them, to honour them, to allow them to move through us, not get stuck in us.
For so long, I thought my feelings were mine alone to carry.
But I’ve come to understand that my whīra are also held by those who came before me.
When I sit with my emotions, whether it be grief, joy, rage or longing, I feel the presence of my tūpuna and atua.
I know now that my feelings are not isolated; they are shared, collective, intergenerational.
My whīra are their whīra too.
And sometimes, the most revolutionary act we can take is to pause — and feel.
So as we move through this current season, I invite you to welcome your whīra in.
Let them speak.
Let them move.
And know you are never alone.