Look at the photos in this chapter and write three things that might be true about Michelle Belcourt.
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Write three things you know about Michelle Belcourt from her writing.
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Michelle Bellecourt’s “Healing Journey” describes contrasts in her life. Throughout the poem she
speaks of the changes she experiences. She writes:
Looking back in the past when I was a child, Realizing I was what you call a little wild
No longer caring what people think, The walls around me started to shrink.
Knowing that I couldn’t do this alone, My attitude has taken a different tone.
What do you think helped Michelle make these changes? Think about her life before coming to the Healing Lodge and after. (For example, Before the Healing Lodge, Michelle ____________; after coming to the Healing Lodge, she _____________________________. List as many before and after contrasts as you can.
Are there things that have changed in your life? List those. Do you have your own healing journey? You might think about it as a time line as a way to get your ideas down before writing about your journey – or about another time of changes in your life.