Where has the time gone: Thinking About Then and Now and Points in Between

My journal for 5/6/08, Tuesday, is decidedly understated for such a significant day in the story of Charla and Waymon Hinson. It simply says, "Told -- Reese, faculty, staff, students -- Charla told office staff." That was the day five years and a few weeks ago when we had reached our decision to move to Ada, Oklahoma to work for the Chickasaw Nation and to develop its family-oriented programming. I remember that the man who would become my administrator and then later my Secretary, Department of Family Services said, "We will take you whenever you can get here, but the earlier you come, the more you'll be able to shape policy; the later you come, the more you will work to program policies that someone else developed." Or something like that. I appreciated his candor then and now.

And so, on that day, I announced to the students and then later had to reiterate in a supervision setting to one who had not attended the original meeting that I was indeed leaving.  It was a hard conversation, one of many between then and August.

Just a few days later, I wrote a post sharing with students and the few readers of my blog what the move was all about.  You can read that original post here, if you'd like. That was a meaningful post. It contained what was important to me then and what is important to me now.  So, the last few days, I have been reflecting upon that post against the current status of things. Here are a few thoughts.

I love what I am doing.  I love the people with whom I get to work. It is stirring to consider working with an incredible Tribe, attempting to bring family systems theory, or "family ways of thinking," to this part of the world, and to anticipate that it will make a difference for years to  come.  Those things keep me moving day to day. Connecting the old ways with this current time and place.

At that time, my position was that of director of one office with input in two other areas. Today, I am honored to serve the Chickasaw People and other American Indian People as well as employees of the Nation and anyone who touches the life of an Indian child via my role as Executive Officer of a division that has seven offices and more to come. It has been a learning curve of immense proportions. Trust has been both obvious and unspoken by leaders of the Tribe.  They know and I know why I am here and the end toward which our efforts move, that of serving the People.

Five years ago, we anticipated a clear linkage between the Tribe and my former university in Texas. That did not happen and perhaps won't happen for a variety of reasons. Disappointing, and time to move on. Instead, I am committed to enhancing the quality of MFT education in Oklahoma and within the Tribe. Various partnerships have been forming across the state and within this small city. It involves advocacy and efforts at the state regulatory board and legislative levels. It also has involved intentional conversations with universities about efforts the Tribe is bringing to the table, so to speak.

Within the Tribe, and this particular area of work, we are developing a Family Therapy Training Academy with its three tiers, a ten module, year old project; supervision of supervision which is being produced by quality employees and a professor from a nearby university with an MFT program; and the ongoing monthly case staffings. Yesterday was a good illustration of these efforts as we brought an outside speaker to our employees and offered CEU credit for the licensed employees. It is an area of which I am most proud and pleased. The benefits for the People are seen often.

Five years ago I wrote of a desire to continue working in the area of African American farmer and advocacy efforts by developing teams of student advocates around here. Frankly and disappointedly that has not happened. Charla and I are still deeply committed to advocacy efforts. We support the movement. We speak often in public and private places and spaces of these efforts. BFAA and its supporters are among our closest friends. Here is an incredible article that lines it all out. These are good friends.  These people are my people. We communicate often with members of those early justice teams, following them as they make differences in the world in all of the places in which they live and walk. They know who they are. Here is one of the efforts of these good people, students then, advocates in the real world now.

I will die with this effort close to my heart. We have much to do there. There are unspoken conference presentations. There are unwritten research articles. There are undeveloped land loss summits and music events on the soil of Tillery, North Carolina. There are unwritten posts on this blog.

However, and that is an important however, there have been deep and rich advocacy efforts on behalf of Indian people. Administrative decisions have been made, programs have been developed, leaders have been hired and appointed, and there have been great front line staff and clinicians hired. Stories from their efforts in the tornado relief effort fill my heart. From the upper reaches of NW Oklahoma City to the farthest edges of the Chickasaw Nation service area just north of the Red River, and from east to west here in the service area, people are being served. Advocacy efforts of various sorts are occurring for the Native People.

Enough!  We have indeed moved from Abilene to Ada, from Texas to Oklahoma, from a university to a Nation of the Indian People.

We will continue to work on behalf of African American farmers.

At the end of the day, so to speak, this was the answer to a calling, a "yes" to the next chapter of our lives and work. We are glad we made it.  And I say "we" intentionally. Most "I's" of me come with the "we" of us, Charla and me. Always has been. Always will be. The way it is meant to be. So, yes, these people are my people regardless of skin color, race, gender, and ethnicity. We move on to drum beat of righteous causes.

For those who read the words of these pages, please feel free to respond.  Thanks for following.  I hope we can continue to stay in touch on behalf of the causes of righteousness within our land and in our world.