March 15 & 16, 2016 Daily Feast Of Wisdom (Tsugitsvnvda Danalisdayvhvsgv Agadohvsdi ) (ᏧᎩᏨᏅᏓ ᏓᎾᎵᏍᏓᏴᎲᏍᎬ ᎠᎦᏙᎲᏍᏗ)

2016

March
Anuyi
ᎠᏄᏱ

Tuesday
Talineiga
ᏔᎵᏁᎢᎦ

March 15 - Daily Feast

When a child is learning to walk, he falls and gets up to try again. If he were to stop getting up, he would never learn to walk. His effort not only teaches him to walk but to run and skip and do many other things as well. All of us are learning to walk in some area. We fall down and wonder if it's worth getting up again. But we never really fail until we give up. One of the lessons we learn is that only those who are trying ever make it. We can't let go, for someone is watching us and learning courage to do the impossible.

~ When the sun goes down, he opens his heart before his God. ~

CORNPLANT - SENECA CHIEF

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

Elder's Meditation of the Day - March 15

"We were taught generosity to the poor and reverence for the Great Mystery. Religion was the basis of all Indian training."

Charles A. Eastman (Ohiyesa), SANTEE SIOUX

Every Indian knows and has a feeling inside that, bottom line, our real purpose on earth is to be of service to our fellow man and to be of maximum service to the Great Spirit. The Creator designed the earth to be self supporting -- everything is interconnected and all things were created to be of service to each other. The Indian way is to pray about all things. Religion is not separate from any part of our lives. Everything is spiritual and we are to view all matters in this way. Family is spiritual, work is spiritual, helping others is spiritual, our bodies are spiritual, our talk is spiritual, our thoughts are spiritual. We need to practice seeing all things as spiritual.

Great Spirit, today let me help the needy and allow me the wisdom to have respect and reverence for Your teachings.

'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Two qualities so well liked in people are brightness and warmth, both parts of the sun. Sir David Brewster was a Scottish physicist of the eighteenth century. His study of the material world and its phenomena called the sun glorious, "the center and soul of our system, the lamp that lights it, the fire that heats it, the magnet that guides and controls it, the fountain of color which gives its azure to the sky, its verdure to the fields, its rainbow hues to the gay world of flowers, and the purple light of love to the marble cheek of youth and beauty.

What more beautiful qualities for any human being to possess than to have a soul at the center of its system, to light the appearance, to warm the feelings, to guide and control it through its colorful moods, and to let it rise as high as the azure skies and as wide as the gay world of flowers. But better yet, to be most beautiful with the purple light of love. What more to be given than the same qualities of the sun
- by one Creator.

To live we need more than light, we need warmth. We need more than strength, we need grace. And more than all these we need love. There can be no greater joy than to see our respect for each other - the warmth and grace and love that binds together people in mutual concern.

Only when we can lay aside our personal feelings, our self-concern and worry of our own gain, can we join in true communion and fellowship with others. And to feel a sense of belonging is necessary to humankind.

It is the nature, not only to be liked and wanted, but to like and want others. And in this relationship find not just warmth but light, not only grace but strength, and in all of these find love.

"Walk in the light and thou shalt see thy path, though thorny, bright; for God, by grace, shall dwell in thee, and God himself is light." - Barton.

2016

March
Anuyi
ᎠᏄᏱ

Wednesday
Tsoineiga
ᏦᎢᏁᎢᎦ

March 16 - Daily Feast

So much is taken for granted that it is a wonder we every enjoy anything in its present state. While we are off chasing causes and things that look good, our nearest and dearest have no attention. Few things necessary to us come through loud and clear. They become so much a part of us that we forget they exist - like the leg that supports us and the hand that feeds us. It is inane to gamble with such priceless assets. We should not wait any longer to speak and act with our hearts.

~ We must let you know we love our children too well to send them such a great way. Our customs are different from yours and you will be so good as to excuse us. ~

CANANSSATEGO

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

Elder's Meditation of the Day - March 16

"Each of us must know in our minds and believe in our hearts that even though we are different, you are like me and I am like you."

Larry P. Aitken, CHIPPEWA

One of the definitions of humility is having an awareness of one's own character defects. To recognize and acknowledge that one has imperfections is being humble. We should never pray for ourselves unless by doing so it would help another person. To have self-importance puts self first and this is not humble. We each have strengths and we each have weaknesses. Both the strengths and weaknesses are sacred. Life is sacred. We learn sacred things from weaknesses also. Therefore, all lives are developed through trial and error, strength and weakness, ups and downs, gains and losses- all of these are part of life and life is sacred.

Great Mystery, let me see and know about the sacredness of life.

'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 route 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."