August 14 Daily Feast, Elder's Meditation, THINK on THESE THING

August 14 - Daily Feast

We have heard that all things come to those who wait - which may be true to some degree. But is seems more sensible that all things come to those who expect them, who get ready and work toward having them. Far too many wait for happiness to run them down and force joy on them. But having the right to something doesn't make it happen. Joy is like a bubbling spring that pushes its way up through layers that would keep it from flowing. And joy is the essence of life, the s du i s di, the key. When something is presented to us, we can't pick it apart and find fault with it. We don't look around and see if someone else is interested in it before we decide - but we take it by the hand and walk with it, learn about it, bless it, and find that we have waited long enough.

~ I fear no man, and I depend only on the Great Spirit. ~

KONDIARONK

'A Cherokee Feast of Days', by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Elder's Meditation of the Day August 14

"It's time Indians tell the world what we know... About nature and about God. So I'm going to tell you what I know and who I am. You guys better listen. You got a lot to learn."

Mathew King, LAKOTA

A long time ago the Creator came to Turtle Island and said to the Red People - "You will be the keepers of the Mother Earth. Among you I will give the wisdom about nature, about the interconnectedness of all things, about balance and about living in harmony. You Red People will see the secrets of nature. You will live in hardship and the blessing of this is you will stay close to the Creator. The day will come when you will need to share the secrets with the other people of the earth because they will stray from their spiritual ways. The time to start sharing is today."

Oh Great Spirit, today I am ready for You to use me as a channel of Your peace. Let my walk today be visible so the people will say "There goes a Man of God." I want to know what He knows. If they ask, I will tell them to go out into the wilderness and pray for You to guide them.

'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Henry David Thoreau, whose love for simplicity often took him into solitude, also wrote of the sensitive side of human nature. "The finest qualities of our nature, like the bloom on fruits, can be preserved only by the most delicate handling."

How easy it is to destroy the only approach to our true selves. And how often communications are broken down by the brutal force of "getting to the point" and speaking "frankly."

The only time an agreement has been reached by the frankly routine is when two people already believe in the same thing. And it is a most infrequent occasion when two people can meet head-on and believe the other honest because that person is direct and wordy.

More often, there must be some thought given to the sensitivity of the other person. First, that person is a human being with human dignity; feelings and thoughts, strong likes and dislikes. And it is a considerate person who has the sensitive perception and insight into the heart of another, and because of that thoughtfulness can be more honest and direct and progress by it.

Nevertheless, if one has to be constantly on the outlook to keep from offending a friend, then that person is not really a friend. It isn't difficult to be a friend to someone who is endearing to everyone. Indeed it is a pleasure to be counted among that person's friends. But it is another thing altogether to be a friend to someone who finds little friendship anywhere.

Other people seldom see us as we are. In fact, who we truly are is lost somewhere among our daily contacts. We react differently to nearly every person we meet. Their personality and ours may blend beautifully or they may clash horribly. And we can rather tell where the fault lies when we balance out the blends and the clashes. Are we easy to be friends with, or are we merely acquaintances and nothing more?

If people have to dodge around so many issues in order to keep us sweet, we need to hear some truth about ourselves. If we can't do it, it may have to come from a friend. Then we must remember the words of Thomas a' Becket, "Better are the blows of a friend than the kisses of an enemy."

Donadagahv’I

Tawodi Unega
( White Hawk )

"Be good, be kind, help each other."
"Respect the ground, respect the drum, respect each other."

Abe Conklin - Ponca/Osage, (1926-1995)

May The Creator walk with you.