Community work day & Culture time with Aunty Donnie

Hey everyone!  This past Saturday was a community working day & a day with Aunty Donnie.  It is great to be apart of the community working days because we all come together as one to restore the fishpond, as well as meeting new people and making connections with the land, water, and all elements.  What Aunty Donnie shared with us was when we all work at the fishpond, we are connecting with everyone there.  Everyones mana (spirit) is now in the fishpond, as we all touch the ko'a (coral) and pohaku (stone) our mana is what keeps the fishpond strong and bonded.  As we were sharing how we felt at the fishpond that day, Arthur told us his point of view of the line we made while passing the ko'a & pohaku.  He said that it was a backbone, how we were lined up close and diagonal from each other.  If one person was missing it would throw everything off, it would be a lot more difficult to keep the ko'a & pohaku moving.  Everyone in the line provided strength even if it was only a little bit, but thats what made it so strong. Everyone working together, trying to reach the same goal. 
Learning about the cultural aspect of the fishpond is awesome because everyone can get together and share that knowledge with each other.  The feeling I get while at the fishpond is like no other, I feel a sense of belonging and relaxation.  There are no worries, just peacefulness.  The fishpond has got me to meet incredible people and learn things I wouldn't have been able to learn without being there.