December 7 Elder’s Meditation, THINK on THESE THING

December 7 - Daily Feast

She woke me at midnight to see the pink snow that lay on the ground - the only time I ever recall seeing aurora borealis, the northern lights playing in the far northern skies and tinting the snow. She called me to sit beside her on the doorstep to watch the evening star nestled in the crest of a new moon. It was the only time I ever remember such a thing happening. She got off her horse on a rocky hill near the creek and said simply, "The horses are snorting. A rattlesnake must be nearby." It was coiled and ready to strike - but she showed no fear. She took aim with a rock and we dragged it home on a rope for others in the family to see the rattles. She was an artist in her heart, a teacher, but most of all my loving mother.

~ I had a dream.....one small round stone appeared to me that the maker of all was Wakan Tanka. ~

BRAVE BUFFALO - SIOUX

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

Elder's Meditation of the Day - December 7

"A man should rely on his own resources; the one who so trains himself is ready for any emergency."

Oral Tradition, OMAHA

Man is designed to function independently and to rely on the Creator for his resources. If we build our relationship with the Great Spirit, we are ready when emergencies occur. We need to build a trusting relationship with the Creator. We do this by constantly talking with the Creator. It's good to talk to Him many times a day. Then we will realize, even though we can't see Him, that He is always with us and He is ready to respond to our requests.

God, let me remember to talk to You many times today.

'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Every year at the time of festive paper, ribbons, and shimmering tinsel, we hear at least once, "Christmas has become so commercialized." Christmas is whatever we make it. If we contribute to the commercializing of Christmas by choosing gifts begrudgingly, giving thought only to the dollar spent but never to the spirit of giving, then by our own minds we are losing sight of the most beautiful time.

In the face of those who miss the true meaning of Christmas are the happy people whose lives are based on the gifts they share. There's a simplicity in their shopping, but there is splendor and great joy in the gifts of light they shed.

Their presence is a silent blessing, their words are cheerful, and they smile with kindness. These truly beautiful gifts of sincerity give a rise to the heart that cannot be matched. They are basically the one gift that God gave us called Christ - the priceless gift of love.

If at Christmastime you receive one gift of love, you have received the best gift of all. The genuine product is never packaged, never purchased and impossible to commercialize. And the most delightful and heartwarming time to receive it is right after having given it. It is said that it is not the amount of food, but the cheerfulness of the guests that make the feast. And when we consider that we are guests at the table of life, we must also decide whether we are making it a feast or a famine.

In fact, we are living evidences of whether our lives are feasts or famine. Everything we feed ourselves, whether it is thought, word, deed, or bread is written upon our physical and spiritual lives.

To think of feasting brings to mind a table laden with different and delicious dishes. But, deep in our thoughts we know that without the warmth and light of others, a feast is only a meal. The cheerfulness would be replaced by a meager existence. There would be no laughing faces, no sensing that all is well because love dwells at that table.

And so to share our lives in that manner is to make living a feast. But to withhold our friendship, to know no close communion and happiness is to feel the barrenness of famine.