The sun poured warmth across the valley,
its fire resting on the stones where we lay,
heating the earth beneath our bodies.

The water was powerful.
She rushed over the rocks and over me
as I placed my head beneath her flow.

In her current, I released rose petals
in honor of my mother.

Petal by petal
the water carried them away.

And with them, something within me began to move.

A deep purge.
Then cleansing.
Again and again and again.

The air was pure and alive.
Crisp and clean, filling my lungs
as if I were taking my very first breath.

And the earth…
oh, the earth.

She held me.
She held the water.
She was warmed by the fire of the sun
and met the air with quiet applause.

In that sacred valley I felt everything.

Grief.
Love.
Hope.
Freedom.

I felt alive.

For a moment, the elements and I were no longer separate.
They moved through me,
and I through them.

And I knew
I was being held.

— Delta Ori Nahimana