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

March 14 - Daily Feast

Few things can dominate nature when she is about to make a change. Relentless and determined, she has a plan and it may take a few runs before the door is slammed on winter - but it is coming quickly. A subtle greening has begun in sheltered places. The wild rose canes laid flat by cold winter winds are no longer gray. Purple striped dayflowers and tiny four-petal blue-eyes bloom profusely with a minimum of sunlight and warm air. The wild strawberry known to Cherokees as a ni, has put out new leaves, and we see the eternal miracle that never grows old - the new baby calf. When frost put down the flowers and stopped the birds from singing last fall, spring seemed far away. Now she is knocking on the door, and if we answer her with seeds she will hide again. But not for long. We just need a little time to prepare. If we are to see it all, we must begin now.

~ We were content to let things remain as the Great Spirit has made them. ~

CHIEF JOSEPH

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

Elder's Meditation of the Day - March 14

"The concept that we are all related is one of the basic philosophies of D/Lakota religion."

Dr. A.C. Ross (Ehanamani), LAKOTA

The Medicine Wheel teaches the four directions of the races, Red people, Yellow people, Black people and White people. These four directions are symbolic of all races. Everything in the circle is connected and related. All races are brothers and sisters. If we are related to each other, then it is important to love one another as brother and sister, aunt and uncle, Fathers and Mothers, Grandfathers and Grandmothers. We need to care for each other and especially respect each other. We need to honor one another's differences whether that difference is the color of our skin or our opinions. We should respect differences.

My Creator, let me feel the connectedness to all things. Let me know the lessons I need to learn today. Above all, let me feel my connectedness to You.

'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

There are many fears in the minds of man, but none so subtle, yet so effectual, as fear of failure.

We are so afraid we've been unwise and wasted valuable time and it makes us wonder how many times we've failed those who depended upon us, and how many times we've failed ourselves.

Time seems too short to make up and overcome the things long past. It seems sometimes that opportunities are there and gone before we've had tie to make use of them. We condemn ourselves so much for the lack of knowledge when we most needed it. But if decisions were made on afterthought, they might not be as wise as those made quickly, without time to think.

We should no longer think about past failures, not give undue thought to our chances for future ones, but only begin now to do the very best we can.

True failure comes only to those who stop trying, for no age, no time, no place can stop the person who decides to try one more time. As Frederick William Farrar, English author, has written, "There is only one real failure in life that is possible, and that is, not to be true to the best one knows."