October 21 Daily Feast, Elder's Meditation, THINK on THESE THING

October 21 - Daily Feast

Don't condemn yourself. Who of us have not made mistakes? No one is perfect, but we are too quick to call ourselves stupid. We have condemned ourselves for eating - even though that is what we have to do. It's just that we eat because it is convenient, we see it, we eat it. If we can get it without having to cook it - all the better. And all the worse - because it doesn't have in it the nutrients we need and it is gone too quickly and we are not satisfied. Laziness has overtaken our good sense. We let ourselves fall into making it easy on ourselves - and in turn we open the door to making it hard. It is a matter of choices, but not solved by self-criticism.

~ The ground says, "The Great Spirit has placed me here to produce all the grows on me, trees and fruit. ~

YOUNG CHIEF - CAYUSE

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

Elder's Meditation of the Day - October 21

"There is one God looking down on us all. We are children of the one God. God is listening to me. The sun, the darkness, the winds are all listening to what we now say."

Geronimo, APACHE

The Old Ones before us knew things. Many of them were so spiritual that the Creator told them things through visions, ceremonies and prayer. The Creator taught them about interconnectedness, balance and respect. The Old Ones experienced these things and told us we are all children of the same God. We all live under the same natural laws. Every human being, every animal, every plant, every insect, every bird, we are all the same in the eyes of God.

Great Mystery, teach me to respect all the things You have created.

'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

There is an old Arabian proverb that if you pitch a lucky man in the Nile he will come up with a fish in his mouth. Just to come up would be enough for most of us, but still we do so many things - perhaps half in jest - that we have hopes will throw off the evil spirits and bring good luck to the rescue.

The tokens we carry we've carried from childhood, when we were careful never to step on a crack in the walk, or pick up a pin - the silly poems that fascinate children, and sometimes follow them into adulthood when the laughter is gone.

Who are the wise? Those who can rise with the sun letting yesterday go.....and feel within their hearts the gratitude of being alive.....to have the opportunity to glean from their mistakes something that will take them far over that place if ever they pass it again. They know that luck must have a "P" before it to keep them from waiting, to help them turn up something rather than waiting for something to turn up.

And yes, they are lucky who have love to give and the ability to receive it. They have faith in good. And no small amount of peace when they think not how lucky they are, but how blessed!