prayers for harold gatensby
By Sayra Pinto
July 18, 2026
I come to you to request your prayers for Harold Gatensby's family. I received a message from his brother Phil today letting me know that our beloved is on his deathbed.
He asked for prayers.
As I was just now sitting by his fire, chock full of tears and a most profound gratitude, I was flooded with memories of his laughter. The sparkle in his eyes.
The wander that has filled his eyes when he took in the beauty of the world, of each person he met, of the Creator's mercy and glory.
I often describe him as the tallest Indian I ever did meet. As he endeavors to engage in this intense transition, I know he is meeting each moment into the next and eventually into the full embrace of the Wholeness of life and light with that wander.
He leaves behind a brood of children, all of his own, that have known complete love. The rest of us are left to be inspired by the greatness of a soul that had every reason to stay small, and simply chose to transcend. He grew beyond the grief of loss inflicted upon him by the boarding school he eventually escaped. He grew beyond the sense of loss inflicted upon him subjugation and into the profound love brought upon the world by his medicine.
He leaves behind a message that is greater than any process, technique, or interest. He stood steadfast for our right and our ability to return to our original instructions. Everything he did outside of loving his family, he did for a vision for the reconstitution of our peoples across this hemisphere and the world.
Harold has been a constant unlike any other in my life. I would not be me without him and the path he chose to walk on this realm. I know there are many fires burning right now, be they of wood or of love, lighting his path on the way to the next. I am but a small one. And yet, his light has burned bright and big on my way to a greater expression of humanity, of purpose, and of love for humanity and all of Creation.
As I can barely type any more, I want to ask for your prayers so he can find his way into the next realm with ease. So he knows how deeply loved he is. And so he can receive that total freedom he earned through all of the sacrifices that have defined his life.
"One must suffer to make things holy." He would say. A holy man becomes a holy ancestor. His spirit will forever be etched on my heart.
I will share with you my prayer for him:
May the song of chickadees lead you home.
May the ground that you stand on now be soft.
May the mountains there be full of life.
May towering balsams loom large on that horizon.
May glacial glistening waters sparkle on your arrival.
and may the days be long and warm.
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