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. ~
Have you considered the effect your presence may have on people around you? Do they need you? The answer is yes. We are somewhat selfish with our presence at times. We want to withdraw and think our own thoughts and read quietly rather than entertaining someone or just listening to them. But we never really know how much they need us, not to perform good deeds for their good, but only to be company to share a happening of the day.
Perhaps within their minds we can quiet some restlessness, assure them that they are needed or give them a feeling of tranquility. To many lie is no simple matter, and to hear them out may be the remedy.
It has been said by a very wise man that if you never make a mistake you're not doing anything.
It is a relief to know that every day, without fail, we come in contact with people who put such confidence in us that we strive ever harder to never fail. Such people build human beings - and there is no job more worthy, or more creative.
Building character and confidence in fellow human beings is a delicate task....for no two people respond in the same way. Challenges may be the way to boost up some individuals, while others may need encouragement and praise to guide them on their way. But, oh, how human we all are having the need for accomplishment....for attention....for approval.
And how great the responsibility for leaders who must have the wisdom to inspire....the integrity to trust....the heart to understand. The race is hard for leader and follower, for each must understand the other - and there must be compassion for the slow, courage for the weak, and appreciation for the loyal. To follow one must be secure; to lead one must be very wise.
It should be the practice of all of us that when we hear something complimentary about someone to tell them. It is so true that man does not love by bread alone, and to be recognized in having done something that rated approval is a very great reward.
Nothing so builds character in children than to let them know someone believes they have a fine potential. That feeling that "someone believes in me" can be the very thing that will anchor their faith deep in hope for humanity.
To be able to see the good acts of others renders service to ourselves. Swiss theologian Johann Casper Lavater once said, "He is incapable of a truly good action who finds not a pleasure in contemplating the good actions of others."
Appreciation for the achievement of others is akin to sunshine - we simply can't help it shine on other people without feeling the glow ourselves.
"There are many people who could claim and learn from their Indian ancestry, but because of the fear their parents and grandparents knew, because of past and present prejudice against Indian people, that part of their heritage is clouded or denied."
Joseph Bruchac, ABENAKI
There were many injustices done to Native people. Sometimes I wonder, why am I connected to the past injustices done to Indian people? Why am I so angry about the past? The Elders say our ancestors are alive within each of us. Therefore, I may experience anger and resentment inside of me because of the injustice done to them. The way I get rid of these past feelings is to forgive. It may be necessary to even learn to forgive the unforgivable.
Great Spirit, teach me the path of forgiveness; teach me the courage to forgive; teach me to let go. Give to me a forgiving heart.
Most people do not intend to get caught in a bad cause. We simply get swept along with the tide. It can happen because we want to get ahead fast - but it more likely happiness out of ignorance. It has been said that we have the capacity to make heaven a hell, or a heaven of hell. We've been known to do both - though it is a matter of choice. According to the Cherokee, it is plain to see that the place called heaven, ga lv la di-tso sv, is the ultimate choice. We have had to deal with situations that we didn't choose. They were simply piled on us and we tried to help. But here we must be wise. We can't allow ourselves to be drawn into a cause that is not our responsibility, and that we may not be well informed enough to handle.
~ I have been trying to seize the promises which they made me....but I cannot find them. ~
Cooperation is said to be the essence of success. Without it confusion and chaos are the ruling factors and in harmony the main thought. Cooperation is a result of excellent leadership, the ability to build a team of loyal players who can follow instructions or think for themselves, whichever is for the best of all concerned.
A team is a group with specific parts to play. In all wisdom they know a little about every part, but they play their own positions with precision and efficiency.
Every player cannot be captain, and every person cannot play quarterback. The part may be small, but if it is played with fairness and dignity and to the utmost of ability, then it will be as important to the successful outcomes or results as the biggest job in the team.
The practical view of cooperation is vivid in John Dickinson's words, "By uniting we stand; by dividing we fall." We are only as strong as the weakest, only as cooperative as the spirit in which we work.
"The best teachers have shown me that things have to be done bit by bit. Nothing that means anything happens quickly - we only think it does."
Joseph Bruchac, ABENAKI
There are no short cuts. Every tree must grow according to the growth plan of the Creator. Every flower must grow according to the plan of God. The moon must make its trip around the earth according to God's plan. Every human being must grow according to the plan of the Creator. Sometimes we look at ourselves and we think we are not growing but we are always growing. Because we cannot see it with our mind does not mean it is not happening. We must be patient with ourselves and let the Creator direct our growth.
My Creator, let me be patient. Let me realize that You are in charge of all things. Let me realize that I must grow my roots a little at a time to become strong.
Some people claim to have no need of solitude. Others insist on privacy, a time away from everything to get a better perspective. Most of us want our moment of quiet - but we want to decide when they are to be. We want the, u tse li dv, solitary hour as long as it has a spirit and aliveness. It is in the quiet times that we build our strengths and know we have something to rely on. Solitude is not withdrawal into a place where no one and no sound can penetrate. It is a sweet moment of peace with or without other people that lets us recenter and rest the rhythm of the mind, body and spirit. It is wisdom to stay close to the solitude of nature to keep us young and pliable.
~ Old Lakota was wise.....he kept his youth close to its softening influence. ~
In this jet age when almost "instant there" is completely accepted, the world has become very small. The days of remaining in one's own birthplace are near an end, and those who never dreamed of traveling have adjusted themselves to it quite well.
And with shorter distances between us and our neighbors it seems our worlds should find more opportunities for mutual understanding. But we must realize that even though our material worlds may be easily crossed, our thoughts are worlds apart. Until we can bring together a thinking people with the desire to create living conditions that are peaceful and full of kindness, fast travel can waver between good and bad.
A British novelist and poet, George Moore, said, "It is thought, and thought only, that divides right from wrong; it is thought, and thought only that elevates or degrades human deeds and desires."
"If a child hasn't been given spiritual values within the family setting, they have no familiarity with the values that are necessary for the just and peaceful functioning in society."
Eunice Baumann-Nelson, Ph.D., PENOBSCOT
When we are born, we start with a beautiful empty mind ready to be given our beliefs, attitudes, habits and expectations. Most of our true learning comes from watching the actions of others. As we watch our family or relatives, whatever their actions and values are, so will be the children's values and acts. If we see our families living a just and peaceful way of life, so then will the children. If we see our family shouting, arguing and hateful, so will it be for the children. The cycle of life - baby, youth, adult and Elder is all connected. If the older ones have good values, it will be connected to the children.
Oh my Creator, if there are values I have missed, it is not too late. I can get them from You. Teach me today Your spiritual values. Respect, trust, giving, honesty, wisdom - teach me these.
We never really lose anyone. If they were ever a part of our lives, they are always a part of our lives. The important thing is not to regret what has gone before but to take from it the lesson, the experience that was in it for us. Lie is a two-way street, not always sunshine and flowers but a few clouds, a few tears, go with it. It is a complex mixture of many things we are supposed to glean from it. We cannot park by what went wrong, nor can we linger forever by something we might have done right. It is a progressive, moving time filled with new experiences, memories both good and not so good, and many promising hours. It is possible to put our emotions aside and remember joy. But above all, the best is yet to be.
~ The Great Spirit placed me here.....to take good care of the ground and to do each other no harm. ~
A graphologist is a handwriting analysis expert who can take apart the loops and dashes of our penmanship and tell us about our nature. We have a natural curiosity about ourselves. We want to know whether our self-image is the true one. We often think we are capable of seeing another's true nature, but we seem to lack the ability to really know ourselves. In fact, so much about us reveals our disposition and temperament that it can be distressing.
Our handwriting may tell us about our emotional nature, and we may learn that we are introverts by the slant of our letters, but much of our disposition can be self-analyzed by the way other people respond to us.
It doesn't take a graphologist to tell us that if we are inconsistent in our friendliness, if the tongue alternates acid and honey, if we continually complain, continually gossip, criticize and pout, we are revealing a nature we too often think is hidden.
"If we keep everything in balance, we are in harmony with ourselves and are at peace."
Fools Crow, LAKOTA
As within, as without, our present thought determines our future. If we want peace outside ourselves, we must first have peace inside ourselves. It's not what is going on but how we are looking at what is going on. We need to keep ourselves in balance. We must be careful to not get too hungry, angry, lonely or tired. We must know the times - time to work, time to rest, time to play, time to sleep, time to pray, time to lighten up, time to laugh, time to eat, time to exercise. There is a saying "The honor of one is the honor of all." This means when we work with all, we need to also work on one. We need to take care of ourselves. You cannot give away what you don't have.
Great Spirit, let me walk in balance today. Remove from me resentment, self pity and self seeking motives. Let me love myself so I can love my neighbors.
To live peacefully with other people, we need insight and careful judgment. We judge by appearances far too often and that leads to misunderstanding. So much is hidden from ordinary view that it takes time to know something well enough to say anything at all. We have to know that because we have light does not mean there is no darkness. And because we have food does not mean there is no hunger. Can our eyes see all the reasons and purposes in the actions of other people? Unless we have known someone's pain and carried his burden, we cannot know how we might react in the same circumstances. Our senses cannot tell us everything. Only compassion and understanding show us the truth.
~ O Great Spirit, help me never judge another until I have walked two weeks in his moccasins. ~
Others don't seem to be interested in our excuses - they merely want performances. Alibis for lack of service, for lack of ability to give a full measure of trust make a bad servant. And we are all servants, serving each other in one way or another.
It is an unhappy one who is not depended upon for something. There is great satisfaction in being needed, even to the point of doing more than one is capable of doing.
English divine Sidney Smith once wrote, "Try to make at least one person happy every day, and then in ten years you may have made three thousand, six hundred and fifty persons happy, or brightened a small town by your contribution to the fund of general enjoyment."
We cannot move a step upon this earth without finding someone to serve. And as we serve each day, we never stop to consider how many we've made happy; but it should be very vivid in our minds how many we've made unhappy.
"...remember and think about the closeness of Wanka-Tanka. If they live in this wisdom, it will give them endless strength and hope."
Fools Crow, LAKOTA
The value of staying close to the Creator is the immediate help we have available to us whenever we need it. I can listen to the whisper of my heart for this is the place He communicates with me. Staying close helps me remember that we are here to serve Him and to help other people. The Grandfathers are my direct access to wisdom. He who has wisdom has everything. If we have wisdom, then we will see our lives become more effective in the areas of jobs, relationships, family, friends and finances.
My Creator, today grant me the wisdom to seek Your wisdom. Help me to Walk of the Red Road.
We have taken many paths we would not have chosen, and we have done many jobs we did not want to do. We have carried burdens we did not want to carry and dealt with impossible people we did not like. It is strange that the road we did not want to take is the one that brought us more quickly to the place we wanted to be. At times, the way was hostile, but when we needed a hand there was one. When we needed courage, it was there. What we call problems and unjust circumstances have a way of teaching us integrity and how to be peaceful. It makes us wonder how many other rewards we have missed because we resisted something that looked like too much responsibility.
~ I was going around the world with the clouds when God spoke to my thoughts and told me to.....be at peace with all. ~
As long as there has been a human race there has been someone crying out, "No one understands!" Somewhere along the way communications have broken down and the result is misunderstanding.
To be misunderstood is painful. We keep wanting to explain and explain until we get our message across. Sometimes it is the lack of the wise use of words. Then, it may be an unwilling ear. But whatever the race, the politics, sophisticated or home grown, everyone has the desire to be understood. They want every motive, every mood, completely and unquestionably understood.
But to be completely understood can also have its rebound. A goddess can turn into a woman, and a hero can slip into a man when only one of their moods is completely understood.
Understanding breeds familiarity. Familiarity may not breed contempt, but it can certainly take the edge off the mystery. And, it is mystery that keeps life interesting.
In all wisdom, we should worry much less about being completely understood, and make a more diligent effort to understand others.
Something dies within us when no one cares. It is a circumstance of our own making when we have failed to give to another the thought and concern that would have helped when it was most needed.
Sorrows can be borne because others care. Greatness can be achieved because someone cared. To care is our purpose.
Who knows but that these small acts of sympathy and understanding may place another life into the one slot on the jigsaw puzzle of life.
If we were all the things we expect of others, the result would be perfection. We would be perfect in forgiveness, faithful in love, and devoted to the welfare of others. Such excellence has never been accomplished, except that we work continually for it. To work for it, we have to care. And for someone to care is the thing that matters.
"Instead of allowing yourself to be so unhappy, just let your love grow as God wants it to grow; seek goodness in others, love more persons more; love them more impersonally, more unselfishly, without thought of return. The return, never fear, will take care of itself." - Henry Drummond.
The Creator designed us to act on faith. We are able to do this by holding firm to our beliefs. If we believe something and if we don't want the belief to change, we need to add the power of the Great Spirit to this belief. We must always have the spiritual added to our beliefs. If we don't add the Spirit, then we may very well change our minds during the first time we are tested. Each time we are tested and we don't change our minds, we get stronger. The wind may blow on the red willow trees bending them and causing the roots to grow deeper. The more the wind bends the tree, the bigger, stronger and deeper the roots grow. We should be happy that we are tested. It's the Creator's way of making us have greater faith for greater results.
Great Mystery, Grandfather, I know if I am tested today that I can count on You to give me the courage to get to the other side. On the other side of every test is the reward of strength. Make me strong.
Sometimes wisdom is knowing what to overlook. Often it is forgiveness without putting it in words. But why would any quick-thinking, industrious person of knowledge and intellect want to overlook anything? Because we never know when we are going to be in another person's shoes. If it should happen, we want to be forgiven - for a variety of reasons. Overlooking shortcomings is not just wisdom - it's kindness as well. Who has not hoped the world was looking the other way when he or she fell short of being admirable? To overlook in Cherokee is, a hi ya s to di - meaning almost the same thing as to ignore. What a blessing to not be ignored, but to have our faults overlooked.
~ You must not hurt anybody or do harm to anyone. You must not fight but do right always. ~
If you've ever been alone in a strange place, you're bound to know how wonderful it is to have someone make you feel welcome.
Many people have the knack for being at home in whatever place they find themselves. And in this gift they find no loneliness to tug at them, but more often than not most of us feel like strangers. And in doing so we set ourselves apart, or make it sometimes questionable as to the wisdom of asking us into a friendly circle.
A friendly face and a friendly voice can make the most timid souls feel welcome. It can make them feel at home. For in the midst of many there is loneliness. Perhaps it is because our feigned look of self-sufficiency made someone question our need for help.
Many a door has opened, and many a sound friendship won when someone said, "We're glad to have you...." The very atmosphere can be charged with concern when we see others who cannot find their way. The warmth of divine love is for daily use in making someone feel welcome.
We should not forget nor fail to see the wisdom of Hebrews 13:2: "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unaware."
There must be no stronger feeling in the hearts of most people than the desire to belong. To belong to something, to someone, and in a place where the feeling is warm and friendly. The most blessed children in town are the ones born and raised in the same neighborhood, who have the tightly knit sense of belonging to everyone. Suddenly these children are not just the children of their parents, but the children of everyone in the church, in school, and anywhere where there is warmth and love and peace.
War rages within so many, disallowing them any connection or any strand of love that would tie them to anything that gives them a sense of security. And when people become insecure they become demanding. And in demanding they lose the most essential part - the ability to attract love to themselves simply by loving first.
In the words of William Blake: "Love seeketh not itself to please....Nor for itself hath any care....But for another gives its ease....And builds a Heaven in Hell's despair."
Some of my most productive moments are not when I consider how evil the world is, but how powerful is my God.
Some of the best times are not all when I'm enjoying life, but when those I love are knowing happiness.
The highest peak of wealth comes when the joy within surpasses anything I can create out here.
The bloom of good health is felt more richly when I let it flow through me rather than dwelling on the possibility of sickness.
Friendships are strongest and most true when I don't worry about giving more than I receive.
In order that others forgive me, I must also learn to forgive.
I must never forget that negative thoughts feed on fear and starve on faith.
One of the greatest mistakes I can make is to believe myself to be without friend or faith or opportunity.
These personal proverbs belong to all thinking persons who want their lives to have more meaning, know more happiness and feel more richly the love that is the medicine for the sickness of the world.
"When life is too good, we think too highly of ourselves and our blessings. Then we decide we are the wisest and the favored ones, and we don't think we need Wakan-Tanka and the Helpers anymore."
Fools Crow, LAKOTA
It is sometimes easy to get off track when times are good. We start to take the credit and start to think we are in control. We start to think we are smart. Then we quit praying or pray only with lip service. We say the words but don't mean them. Sometimes our head is our greatest enemy. We start acting like a foolish child. We must develop the discipline to be humble during the good times. We need to remember how honorable it is each day to come into the presence of the Creator. How happy we should be to talk to the Grandfathers, to have the choice to start each day on the Sacred Spot - our place of communion with the Great Spirit.
Oh Great Spirit, first let me thank You for the honor of talking to You today. To have the insight of Your love, that only You can love me when I don't deserve to be loved. Let me be reminded to talk to You all day long.
Every time we think we make a mental picture. The more we look at the picture on the motion picture screen of our minds, the more real it becomes. We forget that it is imaginary, but our emotions pick up on what the mind has seen and the image causes delight, or tears, or even anger. Our emotions manipulate us and cause us to do things we would never do under different circumstances. When we give in, these mental suggestions cause us pain, jealousy, and even anger. If our mental vision tells us we have been wronged, anger causes us to react foolishly. In such cases, we tend to go on the warpath, not for any commonsense reason, but because we fed ourselves the wrong mental pictures.
~ We do not take up the warpath without a just cause and honest purpose. ~
Chief Standing Bear talked of his Lakota people. He said they loved to worship and the contact was immediate and personal and that blessings flowed over them like rain showered from the sky.
Can worship really produce such blessings? Indeed, yes. Indian people were born to believe and they have long proved that the "vanishing American"is so much high talk that came to nothing.
To the Indian, Spirit is not aloof, not a figment of the imagination but real life and real power. How sad that lukewarm attitudes silence those who do not want to be known as religious. It is not religion at all, but faith, Spirit, and something to rely on when life goes dry.
"They also learned, and perhaps this was the most important thing, how to look at things through the eyes of the Higher Powers."
Fools Crow, LAKOTA
Our eyes can only see our beliefs. Our beliefs cause us to make assumptions, draw conclusions and cause confusion. Our five senses are very limiting. The Creator has a way of allowing us to see or know in the spiritual world. This is called the Sixth Sense. The Sixth Sense is like a radar system; our personal radar system. It will help us "see" opportunities and help us avoid disaster. This Sixth Sense is controlled by God. We must learn to listen to it. We must learn to trust it. We must learn to act on it even if our head says differently. We must learn to look at things through the eyes of God.
My Creator, guide me today. If my eyes cause confusion, let me close them and see through Your eyes. If my ears Hear confusion, let me listen to my heart. Let me let You guide me.
Painting a picture is much the same as living a life. Some of us only get the outline sketched while others find the time and desire to mix beautiful colors and brush them on canvas. Color is used sparingly on some canvases, others are somber and dark with little or no highlights. But those whose cheerful colors, cardinal reds, sunflower yellows, and all shades of purple and lilac, show us that life does not have to be ordinary. The Master Artist, U ne la nv hi, gave us all pallets and pots of bright colors to use boldly, or to mix in subtle but lively shades. We have been given the general sketch but it is left to us to fill in the colors, harmonizing and blending until we get the right tones. Each of us is a painter and each has the charge to make life a work of art.
~ They searched for a long period of time for the source of life, and at last came to see the thought that it issues from an invisible creative power to which they applied the name Wa-ko-da. ~
Some of the grasses in the meadow have turned pink, some beige, some with new green. August has few days left and next month fall will arrive. Lots of warm days in between now and then, but at least the temperature will modify during that time.
Summer is a little like having a pesky child visiting. At first it is a barrel of fun and we love every minute, but when our tongues hang out from too much of a good thing we are ready for a change. We love it no less, but rest is welcome and we are already counting the days.
Soon, brush piles will send smoke spiraling through the trees and leaves of all colors will begin to drop. At one time, seeing the season change was a sad experience. But beautiful leaves become more beautiful and they are only lying down for a winter's sleep. Much to look forward to if we open our eyes and enjoy it.
"What you see is what you get." Our head has inside it a movie projector that projects out from our foreheads and shines on a screen a picture of our true thoughts. This is our reality. We can only see what we project (our beliefs). If we believe someone is a jerk, every time we see them we reflect our beliefs about what we think about that person and that is all we can see. Even if someone tells us this person is a kind, loving, caring, intelligent individual, we wouldn't be able to see it. If we change our belief about them, that person will change and so will our judgment about that person.
My Creator, let me realize the power of choice. Let me see the advantages of changing my beliefs. Today, if I am judging my brother, let me change my beliefs to acceptance. If my thoughts are of anger, let me change them to love. Let my eyes only see you in everything and every person.
Nothing saves the day so much as a good word. And nothing has been misused as often. There is power in a word, whether we read it, speak it or hear it. And we command and are commanded by the word. We scatter, we call forth, and we comfort. Words are tools, weapons, both good and bad medicine - but very beautiful when used lovingly. The word, or ka ne tsv in Cherokee, is power to help heal, or make sick people sicker by negative talk around them. The word gives confidence when it builds rather than destroys. Relationships have been shattered beyond repair by a runaway mouth. Prosperity has been dissolved by talking lack. Until we listen to our own voices and how we talk, we would never guess how we use our words.
~ I am opening my heart to speak to you....open yours to receive my words. ~
Whenever we stop to consider where we are on the road of life, we might also think about why we are there. Whether it is success or failure, or wavering in the middle of the road, we are where we are because of someone or something.
Nearly every person can pinpoint the time in their life when there was a turning point, a change for worse or for the better. And usually there is someone to whom they give the credit for such a change.
Throughout our lives we contact many people, and they each leave an impression. As living continues the combination of all those thoughts and feelings and actions forms our opinions, our likes and dislikes, our fears and our loves. But there is one basic factor in all of this that turns us one way or other - the individual, the personal self. It is how we take life, what we expect, how we do our daily tasks, where we place our values that makes the difference.
We are born with the right to choose - and whatever we choose there will always be someone there to help us be good or bad. But first, we must give credit where credit is due.
"God is making use of you - you should be grateful He's found a use for you."
Mathew King, LAKOTA
The Creator can only create through human beings. Each human being has a purpose given to us by the Creator. We are on this earth to fulfill this purpose. Our only work is to make ourselves ready, to become a channel, to perform for the Creator. We prepare ourselves by prayer. We prepare ourselves by becoming unselfish. We prepare ourselves by seeking and choosing to walk on a spiritual path. Each morning we look to the East and we say an honor prayer to the Creator. We offer our gifts: tobacco and corn. We ask him to help us do His will for today. In this simple way, we still fulfill our purpose. It should be an honor to serve the Creator.
We have a flair for convincing ourselves that there is nothing we can do about certain things - when it is more likely we don't want to do anything about them. As long as we still care enough, we go on looking for solutions and hoping for miracles. But every day that goes by distances us from so much that no longer stirs us. Gradually, those things we thought so important fade and slip out of our daily thoughts. It is called, gv ge wi s di in Cherokee, and means neglect in anybody's language. It is one thing to let something go when it means nothing, and another to think we still have control and find the urgent need to retrieve it. What is important? It is vital to know what we want and need - if we are ever to have it.
~ I was very sorry when I found out that your intentions were good and entirely different from what I supposed they were. ~
We want much. It seems sometimes that wanting is all we ever get done. And yet if it were not for the desires of our hearts, there would be little incentive to work and plan and expect.
Some would have us believe it is wrong to desire more than absolute necessities. But good desires channeled in the right direction can do nothing but better the one who seeks.
Sometimes getting is only a substitute for the true desire. Humans have a way of looking outside themselves for things to satisfy their spiritual hunger. It may be prestige. Or it may be anything that will inflate their egos and give them feelings of security.
Emerson wrote, "The implanting of a desire indicates that its gratification is in the constitution of the creature that feels it." We have the ability to rise far above what we think we can. We have within us the answers if we but have the wisdom to seek those answers.
And perhaps we should consider, even before we begin to seek, the wisest of all instructions, "With all your getting get understanding."
"Those who live for one another learn that love is the bond of perfect unity."
Fools Crow, LAKOTA
To serve each other, to respect each other, to trust each other, to honor each other, to love each other, to cooperate with each other, to care for each other, to forgive one another, to focus on peoples' good, to laugh with one another, to learn from one another; to pray for each other - these are all acts of love. These values and actions will connect us to one another in the Unseen World. Nature is a good example of how we should get along with one another. Watch nature. She is our teacher. Nature lives to give to one another. The insects give to the birds who give to the four legged who give to the two legged. The Creator made all things perfect.
Oh Great Spirit, let me serve the people today. Let me see that it is better to give than it is to receive. Be with me today.
He sat easily on the ground and leaned his back against the rough bark of an oak and spoke solemnly of a problem relatively new to Cherokees. "Time was when, ka in gv na w, that doctors call depression was not in our camp. We had our lands and families, but it has changed. Old ones cry to leave land and trees, children wave little hands. Hardship not new, reason new. A scar is depression in skin. A hurt is depression in soul. Medicine cure cuts, but only Spirit cure hurt. Speak to it in your prayer and tell it go. Refuse it a place and always say thank you. Sing some, too. Deep in soul, sing, and it iron out depression."
~ I am afraid that the white men are not speaking straight.... ~
We know without being told when we have acted unkindly or behaved unjustly toward another. Intolerance, whether it is personal superiority or religious bigotry, serves only to isolate us from the greatest joy in life - the sharing of ideals and happiness and friendship.
We must be patient and fair toward anyone whose opinions differ from our own. There is a much better chance of convincing those whom we hope to influence by being an example rather than a voice.
It is much easier to be led than to be pushed and not so hard to be tolerant when we recognize within ourselves the reasons we are not always tolerant.
It sometimes becomes habitual to be dissatisfied with everything we see others do. We don't take time to understand and know the basis for their actions. We often fall short of listening to them long enough to understand, and their next words or actions may explain it.
We cannot afford to be intolerant, because no matter how good our ideas are, there is always a better one.
"We begin by letting the Powers know that we are willing to be their servants to others."
Fools Crow, LAKOTA
There are certain prayers or actions we can take that will call the Powers. The powers can only work through people. The Powers are always waiting to express themselves through people that are ready. Every person born is born with a purpose. They have a song to sing. They have a mission to accomplish. Every true purpose will always be about serving the Creator and helping others. When we let the Powers know that we are ready to serve the people, the Powers get excited because they can now do things to help the people and make things better for them. The decision is powerful because it turns an idea into action.
Great Spirit, the greatest joy or feeling that I have ever experienced is when you are using me to help the people, the feeling of giving, the feeling of being your channel. Today, let me have that feeling of giving. Use me as You will.
Guilt imagines that every eye and every mind judges. But guilt can be false - a thing of the conscience that becomes so real it rules our common sense. We are aware that all guilt is not false - but for most people the fear of someone thinking we are guilty is reason enough. What we do not realize is that it is our own thinking, our own emotion and fear that keep us weaving and dodging. A person trying to lose a few pounds feels guilty if someone see him eating. A prudent spender feels the weight of spending a dollar - and so goes the guilt which is not guilt at all but fear. From one fear comes a thousand things to get rid of - and false guilt should be the first.
~ Will you sit idly by, supinely awaiting complete and abject submission, or will you die fighting? ~
Symbolism is a part of all our lives. We see certain things and they call to mind a state of life that enriches or drains us of all hope. How like the old Indian chief in the book WHEN THE NIGHTBIRD SINGS. He heard the bird's clear song at the midnight hour and he rose up from his death bed totally well.
The bird sang of good life and the old Chief heard it. Listen for such a song in your own heart because it may be a miracle for you and you can rise like the phoenix out of ashes to become a new person.
Life has its mysteries, but often those mysteries are more true than the things people shout about. Spirit does not shout to us, but what a wonderful thing when we hear Him whisper. The very breath of life, the holiness of a moment of truth. Listen and hear it.
"With prayer and good intentions, we make our lives sacred and so come to balance."
Don Jose Matsua, HUICHOL SIERRA MADRE MEXICO
Only through prayer can we make spiritual changes that are permanent. You have told us that all life is sacred. Today I intend to serve you, my Creator. Allow me to overcome temptation, and if one comes along, let me see the lessons that will give balance. You have told us that all life is sacred. Let me see today with a sacred eye. Let me see beauty in all things.
My Creator, let me know what You would have me be today. Let my intentions be honest, respectful, humble and loving.
Everything that thrives is fed by the light. Lift up a rock, and the seed that sprouted beneath it is bent, stunted and colorless. But after a few hours of filtered light it begins to straighten, and will eventually throw off all the effects of being held down. We need, a li so qui lv di, a weight or a burden, lifted from our shoulders so we can grow and thrive in the light. We have to show willingness to stand on the rock and not beneath it. To see ourselves in better circumstances, to think clearly, is to be free. Little by little we see the possibility of health and order and great prosperity which includes everything we need. To see good and say good will eventually cause good, but our vision and our words must be steady.
~ You must speak straight so that your words may go as sunlight to our hearts. ~
The last few weeks of anything seem to take longer than all the time that has gone before. The last few weeks of summer are the hottest and driest and seem like forever before we get the rain we need. Not unlike waiting for the baby, we know it is going to be joyous but to the mother, those last few weeks are heavy and stressful.
Suddenly, everything changes in a moment's time. It moves so quickly we can't quite grasp all the details. We have prepared, we think, and we are ready, we hope, but here it is and what do we do now?
Being prepared is quite different from what we suppose. We have hoped and wished and prayed, but we stand totally awed until we have had time to digest it. The heavy little shower came in the heat of summer and was gone before we could listen and taste and record the details in our minds. Ready? Never quite ready. But willing to take it and be grateful as it comes.
"The devastated earth, the air, water, the extinct species of mankind, animalkind, and plantkind, the drugs, suicides, family separations - these are all the result of false ceremonies."
Barney Bush, SHAWNEE
All life is a ceremony. Every act is a ceremony creating a result in our lives. Every ceremony we do always brings results to our lives. If we do bad medicine to others, we do bad medicine to ourselves. If we keep on doing bad ceremonies, we will eventually destroy ourselves. Any time we live our lives out of harmony, we are doing bad ceremonies. Any time we treat anything with disrespect whether it is another human being or a plant or an animal, we are performing bad ceremonies. These ceremonies not only have an effect on ourselves but will simultaneously affect everything. We need to use our power well, only do good ceremonies.
My Creator, teach me only good ceremonies. Teach me ceremonies that accomplish good for all the people. Good ceremonies cause good results. Teach me ceremonies that are helpful.
To earn a standing place takes control, control of the tongue and all that leads to what it days. Being clever and having powerful connections is about as reliable as cheap scaffolding. It can all tumble down under the slightest pressure. Permanent security is never in things or in fame. Securing is an inner, personal reliance on what the Cherokee calls, Galun Lati, or the Great Spirit. People have always attempted to amass fortunes and still be happy apart from anything spiritual. Things and fame can come to anyone willing to work for them - but contentment and health go hand in hand with the Great Spirit.
The woodbine that climbs the trunk of the old oaks has begun to change color. Bright red leaves drop to the ground and join the yellow ones that already have fallen. The cypress has pushed new knees through the surface near the pond, and sand plums are falling from skinny little trees near the barn.
Only a few signs that summer is coming to an end, but very definite signs. Owls call in late evening and hawks spread their tremendous wings and fly late into the evening, circling and circling hoping their sharp eyes will spot food on the ground.
Soon cool breezes will bear down on us and we will be glad for a sweater on late evening walks. Time passes so quickly and all the things we love about fall will be here. The biggest job of all is finding enough time to really enjoy everything before it all changes again.
"I started drinking more seriously, seeking refuge, seeking death actually, from a world that was feeling more and more unnatural to me. Following a painful accident related to drinking, I finally realized that I must decide whether I want to follow my grandparents or truly take up this life. Circumstances that followed led me to choose life."
Barney Bush, SHAWNEE
My life is run by choices and decisions. Every choice I make today will carry with it the consequences of that choice. Every decision I make today will carry with it the consequences of that decision. The question I will ask myself today is, "Do I want to be happy or do I want to be right?" Which ever one I choose will have a lot to do with the consequences I will experience today. If today was the last day of my life, what choices and what decisions would I make?
Oh Great Spirit, guide my path today and help me see the value of choosing the Red Road.
How can we know another man's heart or true desire? We're not even sure about our own. So many potent suggestions have been made to us that we question our own hearts. If we can understand who we are, we will know others. To identify something valuable in another person is to know it in ourselves. The, Tsalagi, calls it intuitive or perceptive - to know something without tangible evidence. The miracle is in finding something good in someone else and realizing we have to have it in us to be able to recognize it. One who never has a good word or a good thought for anyone reveals his terrible need.
~ Sentiment was against the Indian, that they could not be civilized....could not be educated....were somewhat like human beings....but not quite in line of human rights.... ~
If you don't know what to do about a situation - wait awhile, the answer will come. If weariness overcomes you before you've completed a difficult job, wait awhile, you'll get your second wind.
If you do not agree with someone else's philosophy, don't fret, perhaps later you will come to know that the same philosophy can be reached from many different directions.
If you think the activities of another person or group are frivolous and unnecessary, wait a bit, they most likely will feel the same way about you sometime.
If you don't like what others have to say, wait, they may clarify it - or you may change your mind.
If life hasn't dished you unhappiness, wait a bit, if you've planted any happiness seeds, you will also reap.
We can't always wait, but sometimes waiting is action, and action of the hardest kind. It is difficult to keep quiet when you have something to say, but it more often saves your face later and sometimes your life.
"Our Creator makes available to us all that we need. It is an honor to go out and gather it. We must remember to say 'Thank You.' It is honorable to give away, to show our gratitude... And to let the children see this."
Barney Bush, SHAWNEE
So many times we forget to say "thank You" to the Creator. He made for us and abundant universe. He built the Mother Earth to reproduce plenty of everything. It is an honor to be a part of the Great Spirit's world. The Creator always gives us what we need. When we are given things, we should be willing to share it with others. Whenever we give to others, this makes us feel good inside. The more we give, the better we feel. The better we feel, the more we want to give. We need to teach this to our children. The children learn by our behavior.
My Creator, thank you for today. Thank you for the sun. Thank you for the earth. Thank you for my life. Thank you for......
A person totally dominated by his emotions is little different from a piece of paper lifted and tossed by the wind. Everything centers around caution - don't do this, don't say that - or an emotional explosion can take place. None of us escapes emotional extremes. We have cried our hearts out and laughed hilariously in all the wrong places. We have known melancholy and ragged nerves. But most of us know how to stabilize our feelings. The unstable times are when someone feels he has a right to blow. Without sadness or happiness we could be deadly indifferent, but to be blown about with every emotion is a waste of human spirit.
~ May the Lord bring you out of all your troubles. Trust your course with Him. ~
Do you remember the interesting story of the lion and the mouse in Aesop's Fables? The lion could have crushed the mouse but was merciful and let it go free. A year later the lion became entangled and the mouse nibbled its way through the net to set the lion free.
It is a dangerous thing to wade through other people's feelings, burning our bridges and believing we will never need them again. The saddest persons on earth must be those who find they have tried to destroy the only one who can help them.
The smallest and seemingly most insignificant has a purpose in this world, and it isn't for us to judge what that purpose is. We have enough to do in finding our own.
As in the fable, we must remember, "Few are so small or weak, I guess....but may assist us in distress....nor shall we ever....if we're wise.....the meanest of the least despise."
David White Hawk Administrator
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
Aug 14, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
Have you considered the effect your presence may have on people around you? Do they need you? The answer is yes. We are somewhat selfish with our presence at times. We want to withdraw and think our own thoughts and read quietly rather than entertaining someone or just listening to them. But we never really know how much they need us, not to perform good deeds for their good, but only to be company to share a happening of the day.
Perhaps within their minds we can quiet some restlessness, assure them that they are needed or give them a feeling of tranquility. To many lie is no simple matter, and to hear them out may be the remedy.
It has been said by a very wise man that if you never make a mistake you're not doing anything.
It is a relief to know that every day, without fail, we come in contact with people who put such confidence in us that we strive ever harder to never fail. Such people build human beings - and there is no job more worthy, or more creative.
Building character and confidence in fellow human beings is a delicate task....for no two people respond in the same way. Challenges may be the way to boost up some individuals, while others may need encouragement and praise to guide them on their way. But, oh, how human we all are having the need for accomplishment....for attention....for approval.
And how great the responsibility for leaders who must have the wisdom to inspire....the integrity to trust....the heart to understand. The race is hard for leader and follower, for each must understand the other - and there must be compassion for the slow, courage for the weak, and appreciation for the loyal. To follow one must be secure; to lead one must be very wise.
It should be the practice of all of us that when we hear something complimentary about someone to tell them. It is so true that man does not love by bread alone, and to be recognized in having done something that rated approval is a very great reward.
Nothing so builds character in children than to let them know someone believes they have a fine potential. That feeling that "someone believes in me" can be the very thing that will anchor their faith deep in hope for humanity.
To be able to see the good acts of others renders service to ourselves. Swiss theologian Johann Casper Lavater once said, "He is incapable of a truly good action who finds not a pleasure in contemplating the good actions of others."
Appreciation for the achievement of others is akin to sunshine - we simply can't help it shine on other people without feeling the glow ourselves.
Aug 15, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
Elder's Meditation of the Day August 15
"There are many people who could claim and learn from their Indian ancestry, but because of the fear their parents and grandparents knew, because of past and present prejudice against Indian people, that part of their heritage is clouded or denied."
Joseph Bruchac, ABENAKI
There were many injustices done to Native people. Sometimes I wonder, why am I connected to the past injustices done to Indian people? Why am I so angry about the past? The Elders say our ancestors are alive within each of us. Therefore, I may experience anger and resentment inside of me because of the injustice done to them. The way I get rid of these past feelings is to forgive. It may be necessary to even learn to forgive the unforgivable.
Great Spirit, teach me the path of forgiveness; teach me the courage to forgive; teach me to let go. Give to me a forgiving heart.
Aug 15, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
August 15 - Daily Feast
Most people do not intend to get caught in a bad cause. We simply get swept along with the tide. It can happen because we want to get ahead fast - but it more likely happiness out of ignorance. It has been said that we have the capacity to make heaven a hell, or a heaven of hell. We've been known to do both - though it is a matter of choice. According to the Cherokee, it is plain to see that the place called heaven, ga lv la di-tso sv, is the ultimate choice. We have had to deal with situations that we didn't choose. They were simply piled on us and we tried to help. But here we must be wise. We can't allow ourselves to be drawn into a cause that is not our responsibility, and that we may not be well informed enough to handle.
~ I have been trying to seize the promises which they made me....but I cannot find them. ~
BIG BEAR
Aug 15, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
Cooperation is said to be the essence of success. Without it confusion and chaos are the ruling factors and in harmony the main thought. Cooperation is a result of excellent leadership, the ability to build a team of loyal players who can follow instructions or think for themselves, whichever is for the best of all concerned.
A team is a group with specific parts to play. In all wisdom they know a little about every part, but they play their own positions with precision and efficiency.
Every player cannot be captain, and every person cannot play quarterback. The part may be small, but if it is played with fairness and dignity and to the utmost of ability, then it will be as important to the successful outcomes or results as the biggest job in the team.
The practical view of cooperation is vivid in John Dickinson's words, "By uniting we stand; by dividing we fall." We are only as strong as the weakest, only as cooperative as the spirit in which we work.
Aug 17, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
Elder's Meditation of the Day August 16
"The best teachers have shown me that things have to be done bit by bit. Nothing that means anything happens quickly - we only think it does."
Joseph Bruchac, ABENAKI
There are no short cuts. Every tree must grow according to the growth plan of the Creator. Every flower must grow according to the plan of God. The moon must make its trip around the earth according to God's plan. Every human being must grow according to the plan of the Creator. Sometimes we look at ourselves and we think we are not growing but we are always growing. Because we cannot see it with our mind does not mean it is not happening. We must be patient with ourselves and let the Creator direct our growth.
My Creator, let me be patient. Let me realize that You are in charge of all things. Let me realize that I must grow my roots a little at a time to become strong.
Aug 17, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
August 16 - Daily Feast
Some people claim to have no need of solitude. Others insist on privacy, a time away from everything to get a better perspective. Most of us want our moment of quiet - but we want to decide when they are to be. We want the, u tse li dv, solitary hour as long as it has a spirit and aliveness. It is in the quiet times that we build our strengths and know we have something to rely on. Solitude is not withdrawal into a place where no one and no sound can penetrate. It is a sweet moment of peace with or without other people that lets us recenter and rest the rhythm of the mind, body and spirit. It is wisdom to stay close to the solitude of nature to keep us young and pliable.
~ Old Lakota was wise.....he kept his youth close to its softening influence. ~
STANDING BEAR
Aug 17, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
In this jet age when almost "instant there" is completely accepted, the world has become very small. The days of remaining in one's own birthplace are near an end, and those who never dreamed of traveling have adjusted themselves to it quite well.
And with shorter distances between us and our neighbors it seems our worlds should find more opportunities for mutual understanding. But we must realize that even though our material worlds may be easily crossed, our thoughts are worlds apart. Until we can bring together a thinking people with the desire to create living conditions that are peaceful and full of kindness, fast travel can waver between good and bad.
A British novelist and poet, George Moore, said, "It is thought, and thought only, that divides right from wrong; it is thought, and thought only that elevates or degrades human deeds and desires."
Aug 17, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
Elder's Meditation of the Day - August 17
"If a child hasn't been given spiritual values within the family setting, they have no familiarity with the values that are necessary for the just and peaceful functioning in society."
Eunice Baumann-Nelson, Ph.D., PENOBSCOT
When we are born, we start with a beautiful empty mind ready to be given our beliefs, attitudes, habits and expectations. Most of our true learning comes from watching the actions of others. As we watch our family or relatives, whatever their actions and values are, so will be the children's values and acts. If we see our families living a just and peaceful way of life, so then will the children. If we see our family shouting, arguing and hateful, so will it be for the children. The cycle of life - baby, youth, adult and Elder is all connected. If the older ones have good values, it will be connected to the children.
Oh my Creator, if there are values I have missed, it is not too late. I can get them from You. Teach me today Your spiritual values. Respect, trust, giving, honesty, wisdom - teach me these.
Aug 17, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
August 17 - Daily Feast
We never really lose anyone. If they were ever a part of our lives, they are always a part of our lives. The important thing is not to regret what has gone before but to take from it the lesson, the experience that was in it for us. Lie is a two-way street, not always sunshine and flowers but a few clouds, a few tears, go with it. It is a complex mixture of many things we are supposed to glean from it. We cannot park by what went wrong, nor can we linger forever by something we might have done right. It is a progressive, moving time filled with new experiences, memories both good and not so good, and many promising hours. It is possible to put our emotions aside and remember joy. But above all, the best is yet to be.
~ The Great Spirit placed me here.....to take good care of the ground and to do each other no harm. ~
YOUNG CHIEF
Aug 17, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
A graphologist is a handwriting analysis expert who can take apart the loops and dashes of our penmanship and tell us about our nature. We have a natural curiosity about ourselves. We want to know whether our self-image is the true one. We often think we are capable of seeing another's true nature, but we seem to lack the ability to really know ourselves. In fact, so much about us reveals our disposition and temperament that it can be distressing.
Our handwriting may tell us about our emotional nature, and we may learn that we are introverts by the slant of our letters, but much of our disposition can be self-analyzed by the way other people respond to us.
It doesn't take a graphologist to tell us that if we are inconsistent in our friendliness, if the tongue alternates acid and honey, if we continually complain, continually gossip, criticize and pout, we are revealing a nature we too often think is hidden.
Aug 19, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
Elder's Meditation of the Day August 19
"If we keep everything in balance, we are in harmony with ourselves and are at peace."
Fools Crow, LAKOTA
As within, as without, our present thought determines our future. If we want peace outside ourselves, we must first have peace inside ourselves. It's not what is going on but how we are looking at what is going on. We need to keep ourselves in balance. We must be careful to not get too hungry, angry, lonely or tired. We must know the times - time to work, time to rest, time to play, time to sleep, time to pray, time to lighten up, time to laugh, time to eat, time to exercise. There is a saying "The honor of one is the honor of all." This means when we work with all, we need to also work on one. We need to take care of ourselves. You cannot give away what you don't have.
Great Spirit, let me walk in balance today. Remove from me resentment, self pity and self seeking motives. Let me love myself so I can love my neighbors.
Aug 19, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
August 19 - Daily Feast
To live peacefully with other people, we need insight and careful judgment. We judge by appearances far too often and that leads to misunderstanding. So much is hidden from ordinary view that it takes time to know something well enough to say anything at all. We have to know that because we have light does not mean there is no darkness. And because we have food does not mean there is no hunger. Can our eyes see all the reasons and purposes in the actions of other people? Unless we have known someone's pain and carried his burden, we cannot know how we might react in the same circumstances. Our senses cannot tell us everything. Only compassion and understanding show us the truth.
~ O Great Spirit, help me never judge another until I have walked two weeks in his moccasins. ~
EDWIN LAUGHING FOX
Aug 19, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
Others don't seem to be interested in our excuses - they merely want performances. Alibis for lack of service, for lack of ability to give a full measure of trust make a bad servant. And we are all servants, serving each other in one way or another.
It is an unhappy one who is not depended upon for something. There is great satisfaction in being needed, even to the point of doing more than one is capable of doing.
English divine Sidney Smith once wrote, "Try to make at least one person happy every day, and then in ten years you may have made three thousand, six hundred and fifty persons happy, or brightened a small town by your contribution to the fund of general enjoyment."
We cannot move a step upon this earth without finding someone to serve. And as we serve each day, we never stop to consider how many we've made happy; but it should be very vivid in our minds how many we've made unhappy.
Aug 20, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
Elder's Meditation of the Day August 20
"...remember and think about the closeness of Wanka-Tanka. If they live in this wisdom, it will give them endless strength and hope."
Fools Crow, LAKOTA
The value of staying close to the Creator is the immediate help we have available to us whenever we need it. I can listen to the whisper of my heart for this is the place He communicates with me. Staying close helps me remember that we are here to serve Him and to help other people. The Grandfathers are my direct access to wisdom. He who has wisdom has everything. If we have wisdom, then we will see our lives become more effective in the areas of jobs, relationships, family, friends and finances.
My Creator, today grant me the wisdom to seek Your wisdom. Help me to Walk of the Red Road.
Aug 20, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
August 20 - Daily Feast
We have taken many paths we would not have chosen, and we have done many jobs we did not want to do. We have carried burdens we did not want to carry and dealt with impossible people we did not like. It is strange that the road we did not want to take is the one that brought us more quickly to the place we wanted to be. At times, the way was hostile, but when we needed a hand there was one. When we needed courage, it was there. What we call problems and unjust circumstances have a way of teaching us integrity and how to be peaceful. It makes us wonder how many other rewards we have missed because we resisted something that looked like too much responsibility.
~ I was going around the world with the clouds when God spoke to my thoughts and told me to.....be at peace with all. ~
COCHISE
Aug 20, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
As long as there has been a human race there has been someone crying out, "No one understands!" Somewhere along the way communications have broken down and the result is misunderstanding.
To be misunderstood is painful. We keep wanting to explain and explain until we get our message across. Sometimes it is the lack of the wise use of words. Then, it may be an unwilling ear. But whatever the race, the politics, sophisticated or home grown, everyone has the desire to be understood. They want every motive, every mood, completely and unquestionably understood.
But to be completely understood can also have its rebound. A goddess can turn into a woman, and a hero can slip into a man when only one of their moods is completely understood.
Understanding breeds familiarity. Familiarity may not breed contempt, but it can certainly take the edge off the mystery. And, it is mystery that keeps life interesting.
In all wisdom, we should worry much less about being completely understood, and make a more diligent effort to understand others.
Something dies within us when no one cares. It is a circumstance of our own making when we have failed to give to another the thought and concern that would have helped when it was most needed.
Sorrows can be borne because others care. Greatness can be achieved because someone cared. To care is our purpose.
Who knows but that these small acts of sympathy and understanding may place another life into the one slot on the jigsaw puzzle of life.
If we were all the things we expect of others, the result would be perfection. We would be perfect in forgiveness, faithful in love, and devoted to the welfare of others. Such excellence has never been accomplished, except that we work continually for it. To work for it, we have to care. And for someone to care is the thing that matters.
"Instead of allowing yourself to be so unhappy, just let your love grow as God wants it to grow; seek goodness in others, love more persons more; love them more impersonally, more unselfishly, without thought of return. The return, never fear, will take care of itself." - Henry Drummond.
Aug 21, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
Elder's Meditation of the Day August 21
"The greater the faith, the greater the result."
Fools Crow, LAKOTA
The Creator designed us to act on faith. We are able to do this by holding firm to our beliefs. If we believe something and if we don't want the belief to change, we need to add the power of the Great Spirit to this belief. We must always have the spiritual added to our beliefs. If we don't add the Spirit, then we may very well change our minds during the first time we are tested. Each time we are tested and we don't change our minds, we get stronger. The wind may blow on the red willow trees bending them and causing the roots to grow deeper. The more the wind bends the tree, the bigger, stronger and deeper the roots grow. We should be happy that we are tested. It's the Creator's way of making us have greater faith for greater results.
Great Mystery, Grandfather, I know if I am tested today that I can count on You to give me the courage to get to the other side. On the other side of every test is the reward of strength. Make me strong.
Aug 21, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
August 21 - Daily Feast
Sometimes wisdom is knowing what to overlook. Often it is forgiveness without putting it in words. But why would any quick-thinking, industrious person of knowledge and intellect want to overlook anything? Because we never know when we are going to be in another person's shoes. If it should happen, we want to be forgiven - for a variety of reasons. Overlooking shortcomings is not just wisdom - it's kindness as well. Who has not hoped the world was looking the other way when he or she fell short of being admirable? To overlook in Cherokee is, a hi ya s to di - meaning almost the same thing as to ignore. What a blessing to not be ignored, but to have our faults overlooked.
~ You must not hurt anybody or do harm to anyone. You must not fight but do right always. ~
WOVOKA
Aug 21, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
If you've ever been alone in a strange place, you're bound to know how wonderful it is to have someone make you feel welcome.
Many people have the knack for being at home in whatever place they find themselves. And in this gift they find no loneliness to tug at them, but more often than not most of us feel like strangers. And in doing so we set ourselves apart, or make it sometimes questionable as to the wisdom of asking us into a friendly circle.
A friendly face and a friendly voice can make the most timid souls feel welcome. It can make them feel at home. For in the midst of many there is loneliness. Perhaps it is because our feigned look of self-sufficiency made someone question our need for help.
Many a door has opened, and many a sound friendship won when someone said, "We're glad to have you...." The very atmosphere can be charged with concern when we see others who cannot find their way. The warmth of divine love is for daily use in making someone feel welcome.
We should not forget nor fail to see the wisdom of Hebrews 13:2: "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unaware."
There must be no stronger feeling in the hearts of most people than the desire to belong. To belong to something, to someone, and in a place where the feeling is warm and friendly. The most blessed children in town are the ones born and raised in the same neighborhood, who have the tightly knit sense of belonging to everyone. Suddenly these children are not just the children of their parents, but the children of everyone in the church, in school, and anywhere where there is warmth and love and peace.
War rages within so many, disallowing them any connection or any strand of love that would tie them to anything that gives them a sense of security. And when people become insecure they become demanding. And in demanding they lose the most essential part - the ability to attract love to themselves simply by loving first.
In the words of William Blake: "Love seeketh not itself to please....Nor for itself hath any care....But for another gives its ease....And builds a Heaven in Hell's despair."
Some of my most productive moments are not when I consider how evil the world is, but how powerful is my God.
Some of the best times are not all when I'm enjoying life, but when those I love are knowing happiness.
The highest peak of wealth comes when the joy within surpasses anything I can create out here.
The bloom of good health is felt more richly when I let it flow through me rather than dwelling on the possibility of sickness.
Friendships are strongest and most true when I don't worry about giving more than I receive.
In order that others forgive me, I must also learn to forgive.
I must never forget that negative thoughts feed on fear and starve on faith.
One of the greatest mistakes I can make is to believe myself to be without friend or faith or opportunity.
These personal proverbs belong to all thinking persons who want their lives to have more meaning, know more happiness and feel more richly the love that is the medicine for the sickness of the world.
Aug 22, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
Elder's Meditation of the Day August 22
"When life is too good, we think too highly of ourselves and our blessings. Then we decide we are the wisest and the favored ones, and we don't think we need Wakan-Tanka and the Helpers anymore."
Fools Crow, LAKOTA
It is sometimes easy to get off track when times are good. We start to take the credit and start to think we are in control. We start to think we are smart. Then we quit praying or pray only with lip service. We say the words but don't mean them. Sometimes our head is our greatest enemy. We start acting like a foolish child. We must develop the discipline to be humble during the good times. We need to remember how honorable it is each day to come into the presence of the Creator. How happy we should be to talk to the Grandfathers, to have the choice to start each day on the Sacred Spot - our place of communion with the Great Spirit.
Oh Great Spirit, first let me thank You for the honor of talking to You today. To have the insight of Your love, that only You can love me when I don't deserve to be loved. Let me be reminded to talk to You all day long.
Aug 22, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
August 22 - Daily Feast
Every time we think we make a mental picture. The more we look at the picture on the motion picture screen of our minds, the more real it becomes. We forget that it is imaginary, but our emotions pick up on what the mind has seen and the image causes delight, or tears, or even anger. Our emotions manipulate us and cause us to do things we would never do under different circumstances. When we give in, these mental suggestions cause us pain, jealousy, and even anger. If our mental vision tells us we have been wronged, anger causes us to react foolishly. In such cases, we tend to go on the warpath, not for any commonsense reason, but because we fed ourselves the wrong mental pictures.
~ We do not take up the warpath without a just cause and honest purpose. ~
PUSHMATAHA
Aug 22, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
THINK ON THESE THINGS
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
Chief Standing Bear talked of his Lakota people. He said they loved to worship and the contact was immediate and personal and that blessings flowed over them like rain showered from the sky.
Can worship really produce such blessings? Indeed, yes. Indian people were born to believe and they have long proved that the "vanishing American"is so much high talk that came to nothing.
To the Indian, Spirit is not aloof, not a figment of the imagination but real life and real power. How sad that lukewarm attitudes silence those who do not want to be known as religious. It is not religion at all, but faith, Spirit, and something to rely on when life goes dry.
Aug 23, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
Elder's Meditation of the Day - August 23
"They also learned, and perhaps this was the most important thing, how to look at things through the eyes of the Higher Powers."
Fools Crow, LAKOTA
Our eyes can only see our beliefs. Our beliefs cause us to make assumptions, draw conclusions and cause confusion. Our five senses are very limiting. The Creator has a way of allowing us to see or know in the spiritual world. This is called the Sixth Sense. The Sixth Sense is like a radar system; our personal radar system. It will help us "see" opportunities and help us avoid disaster. This Sixth Sense is controlled by God. We must learn to listen to it. We must learn to trust it. We must learn to act on it even if our head says differently. We must learn to look at things through the eyes of God.
My Creator, guide me today. If my eyes cause confusion, let me close them and see through Your eyes. If my ears Hear confusion, let me listen to my heart. Let me let You guide me.
Aug 23, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
August 23 - Daily Feast
Painting a picture is much the same as living a life. Some of us only get the outline sketched while others find the time and desire to mix beautiful colors and brush them on canvas. Color is used sparingly on some canvases, others are somber and dark with little or no highlights. But those whose cheerful colors, cardinal reds, sunflower yellows, and all shades of purple and lilac, show us that life does not have to be ordinary. The Master Artist, U ne la nv hi, gave us all pallets and pots of bright colors to use boldly, or to mix in subtle but lively shades. We have been given the general sketch but it is left to us to fill in the colors, harmonizing and blending until we get the right tones. Each of us is a painter and each has the charge to make life a work of art.
~ They searched for a long period of time for the source of life, and at last came to see the thought that it issues from an invisible creative power to which they applied the name Wa-ko-da. ~
PLAYFUL CALF
Aug 23, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
THINK ON THESE THINGS
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
Some of the grasses in the meadow have turned pink, some beige, some with new green. August has few days left and next month fall will arrive. Lots of warm days in between now and then, but at least the temperature will modify during that time.
Summer is a little like having a pesky child visiting. At first it is a barrel of fun and we love every minute, but when our tongues hang out from too much of a good thing we are ready for a change. We love it no less, but rest is welcome and we are already counting the days.
Soon, brush piles will send smoke spiraling through the trees and leaves of all colors will begin to drop. At one time, seeing the season change was a sad experience. But beautiful leaves become more beautiful and they are only lying down for a winter's sleep. Much to look forward to if we open our eyes and enjoy it.
Aug 24, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
Elder's Meditation of the Day - August 24
"The mind's eye changes the way we judge things."
Fools Crow, LAKOTA
"What you see is what you get." Our head has inside it a movie projector that projects out from our foreheads and shines on a screen a picture of our true thoughts. This is our reality. We can only see what we project (our beliefs). If we believe someone is a jerk, every time we see them we reflect our beliefs about what we think about that person and that is all we can see. Even if someone tells us this person is a kind, loving, caring, intelligent individual, we wouldn't be able to see it. If we change our belief about them, that person will change and so will our judgment about that person.
My Creator, let me realize the power of choice. Let me see the advantages of changing my beliefs. Today, if I am judging my brother, let me change my beliefs to acceptance. If my thoughts are of anger, let me change them to love. Let my eyes only see you in everything and every person.
Aug 24, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
August 24 - Daily Feast
Nothing saves the day so much as a good word. And nothing has been misused as often. There is power in a word, whether we read it, speak it or hear it. And we command and are commanded by the word. We scatter, we call forth, and we comfort. Words are tools, weapons, both good and bad medicine - but very beautiful when used lovingly. The word, or ka ne tsv in Cherokee, is power to help heal, or make sick people sicker by negative talk around them. The word gives confidence when it builds rather than destroys. Relationships have been shattered beyond repair by a runaway mouth. Prosperity has been dissolved by talking lack. Until we listen to our own voices and how we talk, we would never guess how we use our words.
~ I am opening my heart to speak to you....open yours to receive my words. ~
COMO
Aug 24, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
"THINK on THESE THINGS"
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
Whenever we stop to consider where we are on the road of life, we might also think about why we are there. Whether it is success or failure, or wavering in the middle of the road, we are where we are because of someone or something.
Nearly every person can pinpoint the time in their life when there was a turning point, a change for worse or for the better. And usually there is someone to whom they give the credit for such a change.
Throughout our lives we contact many people, and they each leave an impression. As living continues the combination of all those thoughts and feelings and actions forms our opinions, our likes and dislikes, our fears and our loves. But there is one basic factor in all of this that turns us one way or other - the individual, the personal self. It is how we take life, what we expect, how we do our daily tasks, where we place our values that makes the difference.
We are born with the right to choose - and whatever we choose there will always be someone there to help us be good or bad. But first, we must give credit where credit is due.
Aug 25, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
Elder's Meditation of the Day - August 25
"God is making use of you - you should be grateful He's found a use for you."
Mathew King, LAKOTA
The Creator can only create through human beings. Each human being has a purpose given to us by the Creator. We are on this earth to fulfill this purpose. Our only work is to make ourselves ready, to become a channel, to perform for the Creator. We prepare ourselves by prayer. We prepare ourselves by becoming unselfish. We prepare ourselves by seeking and choosing to walk on a spiritual path. Each morning we look to the East and we say an honor prayer to the Creator. We offer our gifts: tobacco and corn. We ask him to help us do His will for today. In this simple way, we still fulfill our purpose. It should be an honor to serve the Creator.
Great Spirit, today I am ready to serve You.
Aug 25, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
August 25 - Daily Feast
We have a flair for convincing ourselves that there is nothing we can do about certain things - when it is more likely we don't want to do anything about them. As long as we still care enough, we go on looking for solutions and hoping for miracles. But every day that goes by distances us from so much that no longer stirs us. Gradually, those things we thought so important fade and slip out of our daily thoughts. It is called, gv ge wi s di in Cherokee, and means neglect in anybody's language. It is one thing to let something go when it means nothing, and another to think we still have control and find the urgent need to retrieve it. What is important? It is vital to know what we want and need - if we are ever to have it.
~ I was very sorry when I found out that your intentions were good and entirely different from what I supposed they were. ~
SITTING BULL
Aug 25, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
"THINK on THESE THINGS"
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
We want much. It seems sometimes that wanting is all we ever get done. And yet if it were not for the desires of our hearts, there would be little incentive to work and plan and expect.
Some would have us believe it is wrong to desire more than absolute necessities. But good desires channeled in the right direction can do nothing but better the one who seeks.
Sometimes getting is only a substitute for the true desire. Humans have a way of looking outside themselves for things to satisfy their spiritual hunger. It may be prestige. Or it may be anything that will inflate their egos and give them feelings of security.
Emerson wrote, "The implanting of a desire indicates that its gratification is in the constitution of the creature that feels it." We have the ability to rise far above what we think we can. We have within us the answers if we but have the wisdom to seek those answers.
And perhaps we should consider, even before we begin to seek, the wisest of all instructions, "With all your getting get understanding."
Aug 26, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
Elder's Meditation of the Day - August 26
"Those who live for one another learn that love is the bond of perfect unity."
Fools Crow, LAKOTA
To serve each other, to respect each other, to trust each other, to honor each other, to love each other, to cooperate with each other, to care for each other, to forgive one another, to focus on peoples' good, to laugh with one another, to learn from one another; to pray for each other - these are all acts of love. These values and actions will connect us to one another in the Unseen World. Nature is a good example of how we should get along with one another. Watch nature. She is our teacher. Nature lives to give to one another. The insects give to the birds who give to the four legged who give to the two legged. The Creator made all things perfect.
Oh Great Spirit, let me serve the people today. Let me see that it is better to give than it is to receive. Be with me today.
Aug 26, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
August 26 - Daily Feast
He sat easily on the ground and leaned his back against the rough bark of an oak and spoke solemnly of a problem relatively new to Cherokees. "Time was when, ka in gv na w, that doctors call depression was not in our camp. We had our lands and families, but it has changed. Old ones cry to leave land and trees, children wave little hands. Hardship not new, reason new. A scar is depression in skin. A hurt is depression in soul. Medicine cure cuts, but only Spirit cure hurt. Speak to it in your prayer and tell it go. Refuse it a place and always say thank you. Sing some, too. Deep in soul, sing, and it iron out depression."
~ I am afraid that the white men are not speaking straight.... ~
CHIEF WENINOCK - YAKIMA, CIRCA 1915
Aug 26, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
"THINK on THESE THINGS"
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
We know without being told when we have acted unkindly or behaved unjustly toward another. Intolerance, whether it is personal superiority or religious bigotry, serves only to isolate us from the greatest joy in life - the sharing of ideals and happiness and friendship.
We must be patient and fair toward anyone whose opinions differ from our own. There is a much better chance of convincing those whom we hope to influence by being an example rather than a voice.
It is much easier to be led than to be pushed and not so hard to be tolerant when we recognize within ourselves the reasons we are not always tolerant.
It sometimes becomes habitual to be dissatisfied with everything we see others do. We don't take time to understand and know the basis for their actions. We often fall short of listening to them long enough to understand, and their next words or actions may explain it.
We cannot afford to be intolerant, because no matter how good our ideas are, there is always a better one.
Aug 27, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
Elder's Meditation of the Day - August 27
"We begin by letting the Powers know that we are willing to be their servants to others."
Fools Crow, LAKOTA
There are certain prayers or actions we can take that will call the Powers. The powers can only work through people. The Powers are always waiting to express themselves through people that are ready. Every person born is born with a purpose. They have a song to sing. They have a mission to accomplish. Every true purpose will always be about serving the Creator and helping others. When we let the Powers know that we are ready to serve the people, the Powers get excited because they can now do things to help the people and make things better for them. The decision is powerful because it turns an idea into action.
Great Spirit, the greatest joy or feeling that I have ever experienced is when you are using me to help the people, the feeling of giving, the feeling of being your channel. Today, let me have that feeling of giving. Use me as You will.
Aug 27, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
August 27 - Daily Feast
Guilt imagines that every eye and every mind judges. But guilt can be false - a thing of the conscience that becomes so real it rules our common sense. We are aware that all guilt is not false - but for most people the fear of someone thinking we are guilty is reason enough. What we do not realize is that it is our own thinking, our own emotion and fear that keep us weaving and dodging. A person trying to lose a few pounds feels guilty if someone see him eating. A prudent spender feels the weight of spending a dollar - and so goes the guilt which is not guilt at all but fear. From one fear comes a thousand things to get rid of - and false guilt should be the first.
~ Will you sit idly by, supinely awaiting complete and abject submission, or will you die fighting? ~
PUSHMATAHA - SHAWNEE
Aug 27, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
THINK ON THESE THINGS
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
Symbolism is a part of all our lives. We see certain things and they call to mind a state of life that enriches or drains us of all hope. How like the old Indian chief in the book WHEN THE NIGHTBIRD SINGS. He heard the bird's clear song at the midnight hour and he rose up from his death bed totally well.
The bird sang of good life and the old Chief heard it. Listen for such a song in your own heart because it may be a miracle for you and you can rise like the phoenix out of ashes to become a new person.
Life has its mysteries, but often those mysteries are more true than the things people shout about. Spirit does not shout to us, but what a wonderful thing when we hear Him whisper. The very breath of life, the holiness of a moment of truth. Listen and hear it.
Aug 28, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
Elder's Meditation of the Day - August 28
"With prayer and good intentions, we make our lives sacred and so come to balance."
Don Jose Matsua, HUICHOL SIERRA MADRE MEXICO
Only through prayer can we make spiritual changes that are permanent. You have told us that all life is sacred. Today I intend to serve you, my Creator. Allow me to overcome temptation, and if one comes along, let me see the lessons that will give balance. You have told us that all life is sacred. Let me see today with a sacred eye. Let me see beauty in all things.
My Creator, let me know what You would have me be today. Let my intentions be honest, respectful, humble and loving.
Aug 28, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
August 28 - Daily Feast
Everything that thrives is fed by the light. Lift up a rock, and the seed that sprouted beneath it is bent, stunted and colorless. But after a few hours of filtered light it begins to straighten, and will eventually throw off all the effects of being held down. We need, a li so qui lv di, a weight or a burden, lifted from our shoulders so we can grow and thrive in the light. We have to show willingness to stand on the rock and not beneath it. To see ourselves in better circumstances, to think clearly, is to be free. Little by little we see the possibility of health and order and great prosperity which includes everything we need. To see good and say good will eventually cause good, but our vision and our words must be steady.
~ You must speak straight so that your words may go as sunlight to our hearts. ~
COCHISE
Aug 28, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
THINK ON THESE THINGS
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
The last few weeks of anything seem to take longer than all the time that has gone before. The last few weeks of summer are the hottest and driest and seem like forever before we get the rain we need. Not unlike waiting for the baby, we know it is going to be joyous but to the mother, those last few weeks are heavy and stressful.
Suddenly, everything changes in a moment's time. It moves so quickly we can't quite grasp all the details. We have prepared, we think, and we are ready, we hope, but here it is and what do we do now?
Being prepared is quite different from what we suppose. We have hoped and wished and prayed, but we stand totally awed until we have had time to digest it. The heavy little shower came in the heat of summer and was gone before we could listen and taste and record the details in our minds. Ready? Never quite ready. But willing to take it and be grateful as it comes.
Aug 30, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
Elder's Meditation of the Day - August 29
"The devastated earth, the air, water, the extinct species of mankind, animalkind, and plantkind, the drugs, suicides, family separations - these are all the result of false ceremonies."
Barney Bush, SHAWNEE
All life is a ceremony. Every act is a ceremony creating a result in our lives. Every ceremony we do always brings results to our lives. If we do bad medicine to others, we do bad medicine to ourselves. If we keep on doing bad ceremonies, we will eventually destroy ourselves. Any time we live our lives out of harmony, we are doing bad ceremonies. Any time we treat anything with disrespect whether it is another human being or a plant or an animal, we are performing bad ceremonies. These ceremonies not only have an effect on ourselves but will simultaneously affect everything. We need to use our power well, only do good ceremonies.
My Creator, teach me only good ceremonies. Teach me ceremonies that accomplish good for all the people. Good ceremonies cause good results. Teach me ceremonies that are helpful.
Aug 30, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
August 29 - Daily Feast
To earn a standing place takes control, control of the tongue and all that leads to what it days. Being clever and having powerful connections is about as reliable as cheap scaffolding. It can all tumble down under the slightest pressure. Permanent security is never in things or in fame. Securing is an inner, personal reliance on what the Cherokee calls, Galun Lati, or the Great Spirit. People have always attempted to amass fortunes and still be happy apart from anything spiritual. Things and fame can come to anyone willing to work for them - but contentment and health go hand in hand with the Great Spirit.
~ We never quarrel about the Great Spirit. ~
COCHISE
Aug 30, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
THINK ON THESE THINGS
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
The woodbine that climbs the trunk of the old oaks has begun to change color. Bright red leaves drop to the ground and join the yellow ones that already have fallen. The cypress has pushed new knees through the surface near the pond, and sand plums are falling from skinny little trees near the barn.
Only a few signs that summer is coming to an end, but very definite signs. Owls call in late evening and hawks spread their tremendous wings and fly late into the evening, circling and circling hoping their sharp eyes will spot food on the ground.
Soon cool breezes will bear down on us and we will be glad for a sweater on late evening walks. Time passes so quickly and all the things we love about fall will be here. The biggest job of all is finding enough time to really enjoy everything before it all changes again.
Aug 30, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
Elder's Meditation of the Day - August 30
"I started drinking more seriously, seeking refuge, seeking death actually, from a world that was feeling more and more unnatural to me. Following a painful accident related to drinking, I finally realized that I must decide whether I want to follow my grandparents or truly take up this life. Circumstances that followed led me to choose life."
Barney Bush, SHAWNEE
My life is run by choices and decisions. Every choice I make today will carry with it the consequences of that choice. Every decision I make today will carry with it the consequences of that decision. The question I will ask myself today is, "Do I want to be happy or do I want to be right?" Which ever one I choose will have a lot to do with the consequences I will experience today. If today was the last day of my life, what choices and what decisions would I make?
Oh Great Spirit, guide my path today and help me see the value of choosing the Red Road.
Aug 30, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
August 30 - Daily Feast
How can we know another man's heart or true desire? We're not even sure about our own. So many potent suggestions have been made to us that we question our own hearts. If we can understand who we are, we will know others. To identify something valuable in another person is to know it in ourselves. The, Tsalagi, calls it intuitive or perceptive - to know something without tangible evidence. The miracle is in finding something good in someone else and realizing we have to have it in us to be able to recognize it. One who never has a good word or a good thought for anyone reveals his terrible need.
~ Sentiment was against the Indian, that they could not be civilized....could not be educated....were somewhat like human beings....but not quite in line of human rights.... ~
WASSAJA
Aug 30, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
"THINK on THESE THINGS"
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
If you don't know what to do about a situation - wait awhile, the answer will come. If weariness overcomes you before you've completed a difficult job, wait awhile, you'll get your second wind.
If you do not agree with someone else's philosophy, don't fret, perhaps later you will come to know that the same philosophy can be reached from many different directions.
If you think the activities of another person or group are frivolous and unnecessary, wait a bit, they most likely will feel the same way about you sometime.
If you don't like what others have to say, wait, they may clarify it - or you may change your mind.
If life hasn't dished you unhappiness, wait a bit, if you've planted any happiness seeds, you will also reap.
We can't always wait, but sometimes waiting is action, and action of the hardest kind. It is difficult to keep quiet when you have something to say, but it more often saves your face later and sometimes your life.
Sep 1, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
Elder's Meditation of the Day - August 31
"Our Creator makes available to us all that we need. It is an honor to go out and gather it. We must remember to say 'Thank You.' It is honorable to give away, to show our gratitude... And to let the children see this."
Barney Bush, SHAWNEE
So many times we forget to say "thank You" to the Creator. He made for us and abundant universe. He built the Mother Earth to reproduce plenty of everything. It is an honor to be a part of the Great Spirit's world. The Creator always gives us what we need. When we are given things, we should be willing to share it with others. Whenever we give to others, this makes us feel good inside. The more we give, the better we feel. The better we feel, the more we want to give. We need to teach this to our children. The children learn by our behavior.
My Creator, thank you for today. Thank you for the sun. Thank you for the earth. Thank you for my life. Thank you for......
Sep 1, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
August 31 - Daily Feast
A person totally dominated by his emotions is little different from a piece of paper lifted and tossed by the wind. Everything centers around caution - don't do this, don't say that - or an emotional explosion can take place. None of us escapes emotional extremes. We have cried our hearts out and laughed hilariously in all the wrong places. We have known melancholy and ragged nerves. But most of us know how to stabilize our feelings. The unstable times are when someone feels he has a right to blow. Without sadness or happiness we could be deadly indifferent, but to be blown about with every emotion is a waste of human spirit.
~ May the Lord bring you out of all your troubles. Trust your course with Him. ~
JEREMIAH EVARTS - ATTORNEY FOR CHEROKEES
Sep 1, 2012
David White Hawk Administrator
"THINK on THESE THINGS"
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
Do you remember the interesting story of the lion and the mouse in Aesop's Fables? The lion could have crushed the mouse but was merciful and let it go free. A year later the lion became entangled and the mouse nibbled its way through the net to set the lion free.
It is a dangerous thing to wade through other people's feelings, burning our bridges and believing we will never need them again. The saddest persons on earth must be those who find they have tried to destroy the only one who can help them.
The smallest and seemingly most insignificant has a purpose in this world, and it isn't for us to judge what that purpose is. We have enough to do in finding our own.
As in the fable, we must remember, "Few are so small or weak, I guess....but may assist us in distress....nor shall we ever....if we're wise.....the meanest of the least despise."
Sep 1, 2012