[bluidkiti]

December 8 - Daily Feast

Elegant is the word for gulls flying overhead. Their graceful movements and backswept wings showed only black and silver as they glinted in the sun. They swooped and darted and flew in wide circles over the meadows as they fed on high-flying insects in the mellow sunlight. Gulls in flight show the simplicity that living should have. Though they are very swift, they appear not to hurry; they go silently and they do not quarrel with each other. A person can say, "I want to be like that" - to have a purpose and to go about it without ruffled feathers and demanding attention for all the wrong reasons.

~ All living creatures and all plants are a benefit to something. ~

SHOOTER - TETON SIOUX

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

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - December 8

"We as men should not fear our mates; we should listen to their counsel."

--Oren R. Lyons, Spokesman, Traditional Circle of Elders

The Elders say the men should look at women in a sacred way. The men should never put women down or shame them in any way. When we have problems, we should seek their counsel. We should share with them openly. A woman has intuitive thought. She has access to another system of knowledge that few men develop. She can help us understand. We must treat her in a good way.

Great Spirit, let me look upon the woman in a good way.

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'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.
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December 9 - Daily Feast

When the first snowflakes catch on leafless trees and crisp cold wind sweeps our faces, we know winter is in earnest. It turns the bright green canes of the wild rose to gray and sprinkles hickory nuts and walnuts on the path to the woods. The entire landscape seems to be one color - but the variation is so subtle and low-key that it takes a little while to see the green lichen and the misty blue haze that hangs over the tiny stream. Life sometimes appears to be at a standstill, and nothing is beautiful - no color, no shape, no hope. But if we refocus, if we are sincere and we use wisdom, we will move toward a new spring, just as does the season.

~ Whatever the fate of other Indians, the Iroquois might still have been a nations. ~

WA-O-WO-WA-NO-ONK - CAYUA CHIEF

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

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - December 9

"The Natural Law will prevail regardless of man-made laws, tribunals and governments."

--Traditional Circle of Elders, NAVAJO-HOPI Joint Use Area

The Great Spirit made Laws by which Man needs to live. These Laws are just and are about living in harmony. Man has passed many laws that say it is okay to do things. Many of these man-made laws are out of harmony with the Laws of the Great Spirit. These man-made laws will cause trouble for the human being if they are out of harmony with the Laws of the Creator.

Great Spirit, teach me Your Laws.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

In this jet age when almost "instant there" is commonly 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."
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December 10 - Daily Feast

A great loneliness falls on some people at this time of the year. They feel the holidays are not for them - but for the happy people. But what they do not know is that the happy people could be live they, themselves, are if they would let it happen. Everyone has something to handle, something that hurts down deep, but it would be wrong to give in to the spirit of loneliness or grief. This is something trying to steal our peace of mind and we are not going to let that happen. When loneliness and melancholy knock on the door, take up the welcome mat and determine never to let them in again.

~ The white man is still troubled with primitive fears. ~

LUTHER STANDING BEAR - CHIEF

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

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - December 10

"Come forward and join hands with us in this great work for the Creator."

--Traditional Circle of Elders, NORTHERN CHEYENNE

The Elders have spent years learning to pray and communicate with the Great Spirit. Their job is to pass this knowledge onto the young people. The Elders have told us we are now in a great time of healing. The Creator is guiding them to help the young people figure this out. We must get involved and participate. We should pray and see what it is the Great Spirit wants us to do. We need to sacrifice our time to help the people and to be of maximum use to the Creator. Every person is needed to accomplish this great healing.

Creator, whisper what You want me to do.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

The greatest tragedy of life is not that we quarrel with our fellows, but that we do not take the time to know them.

In his great understanding of man and nature, Thoreau wrote, "Let a man take time enough for the most trivial deed." Take time.

How often what seems to be an unfriendly atmosphere is only a lack of time. Some of our dearest friends are hidden behind the mask of hurry. And we need so desperately to know each other.

Understanding comes when people are allowed to talk to one another. They discover the ways and needs, the loves and hopes, and the despairs and fears when they take enough time to speak of them. All these things that make for understanding and compassion come from personal contact and the knowledge and practice of good will.

People become more civilized, more peaceful, more as God intended them to be when they take time to make friends out of acquaintances.

To be a good listener endears many a friendship. Everyone needs someone with whom to talk at length on all subjects without later regret. It has been written, "What a great blessing is a friend with breast so trusty that you may bury all your secrets in it."

And how often we need to be that friend and be the listener, and to make sure we are worthy of that trust.

Listening comes in many ways. We listen with all our senses, knowing many times without having to be told what someone's needs are. Charles Dickens said that no one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it for anyone else. And it just may be by listening that we lighten another's load.

Sometimes we listen with our hearts and understand in silence. Sometimes we simply have to put ourselves into a situation to understand all sides of it. And we best do so by listening.

All our lives we carry secrets with us that we long to reveal to someone who understands.

There are relationships in our lives better and closer than the ordinary. Closer yet than brothers or sisters are those with whom we can share all our secrets, we think.

What a sad state of affairs when life imparts that others cannot always be trusted. What a shock to realize we have given all our hearts and bared our souls to people whose curiosity was the only motive that compelled them to listen.

Phillip Massinger, sixteenth century pot wrote, "I have played the fool, the gross fool to believe the bosom of a friend would hold a secret mine own could not contain."

Not one of us can testify that we have nothing within our lives and thoughts that we cannot reveal. And many of us have not expressed our innermost thoughts because we have found no one in whom we can confide.

As Shakespeare said, "Many a man's tongue shakes out its master's undoing." Sometimes the loquacious tell their secrets not out of a need to tell them, but out of a love of talking.

One of the greatest feelings in the world is to discover we haven't told something we cherish very much to someone we once thought we could trust.
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December 11 - Daily Feast

When peace is scattered, imagine a flock of gentle sheep and lambs feeding in sunny meadows. Their slow gentle gait across the slopes and among the grasses is so peaceful that the whole atmosphere is laced with serenity. And then think what it is when a few goats get in with the sheep. Mischief begins. It is not the nature of goats to graze peacefully. They move among the sheep causing restlessness until the whole flock is ill at ease. There are goats among us. They cry and nip and bite, they stir up activity that is not congenial, and it is a real job to separate the sheep from the goats. And more than this, we have to make sure we are not one of the goats.

~ Selfhood is ever calm and unshaken by the storms of existence. ~

OHIYESA

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

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - December 11

"Peace... Comes within the souls of men when they realize their relationship, their oneness, with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize that at the center of the Universe dwells Wakan-Tanka, and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us."

--Black Elk (Hehaka Sapa) OGLALA SIOUX

If we are to know peace we must look within ourselves. In order to do this, we must learn to be still. We must quiet the mind. We must learn to meditate. Meditation helps us locate and find the center that is within ourselves. The center is where the Great One resides. When we start to look for peace, we need to realize where it is within ourselves. When we experience conflict we need to pause for a moment and ask the Power within ourselves, "How do you want me to handle this? What would you suggest I do in this situation?" By asking the High Power for help we find peace.

Creator, help me to find peace.

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'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.
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December 12 - Daily Feast
Misery seems to justify making someone pay - but there is sweet revenge in finding our own inner spirit can expand quickly to push out unfairness and bitterness. Who doesn't have the right to be bitter? A hard thing to forget, a mountain to overcome - but such peace follows. Peace spreads like warm honey across a hot biscuit and permeates all the little places that capture and hold it. The heart lifts its hands in praise for relief from the darkness of bitter memories. All of us can do it - all of us must if we are to be well and have something to share. Just let it go. Life will balance the books, it always does.
~ While living I want to live well. ~
GERONIMO - CHIRACAHUA APACHE
'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler
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Elder's Meditation of the Day - December 12
"In order for our children to survive in the world, they need a firm understanding and belief in the basic principles of sharing freedom and respect of individuality."
--Haida Gwaii, Traditional Circle of Elders
There is a saying: Tell me, I'll forget; Show me, I'll remember; Engage me; I'll understand. The adults need to determine what the younger generation is the learn. The principle of sharing keeps the youth from being greedy and selfish. The principle of freedom teaches the youth about choices, decisions and consequences. The principle of respect keeps us from playing God and becoming a controller of all things. We need to learn theses lessons so we may demonstrate them for our children.
Great Teacher, help me to understand Your principles.
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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
At night sometimes the world seems so topsy-turvy and you're so weary of doing things the same old way. Then nothing seems to please....You try desperately for something new and different, something that doesn't seem so much like you. Why? Tonight you are different.
One cannot expect the world to be top side up all the time. Such perfection does not come so easily to human nature. And always there is a search for something new and different. A change of pace....that thought that I don't want to be me today, to think my thoughts and do my daily chores. I want to make a complete change now, to know a whole new way of life. And it is good to leave behind the many daily situations that sometimes stand too closely to be seen clearly, but to be wise enough to know which things should be left behind.
There have been clean sweeps that have left behind the dearest things....and have taken along the same dreary, dark unhappy things of the mind that should have been left behind.
A line from the prayer of serenity is "The wisdom to know the difference....." And wisdom, says Samuel Taylor Coleridge, is common sense in an uncommon degree. If one has the wisdom to wait a bit, wait until morning - or several mornings - that uncommon degree of common sense will give us the wisdom to know the difference.
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December 13 - Daily Feast
If there is no one else in the whole world around you, celebrate the season. Never say there is no use in decorating for Christmas when you are alone. But it is the best of reasons - you. You are as important to the Lord as anyone else on earth. If you have to, buy and gift wrap your own present and put it under the tree. Don't wait for someone else to guess what you want - you do it. Keep the savory aromas of home cooking in your own kitchen, set the table and eat from a China plate. This is a special time, so be a special part of it - music and all. If you are a joy to be with, you won't be alone.
~ Have I any apology to make for loving the Indians? The Indians have always loved me. ~
GEORGE CATLIN - ARTIST
'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler
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Elder's Meditation of the Day - December 13
"In our language there is no word to say inferior or superiority or equality because we are equal; it's a known fact. But life has become very complicated since the newcomers came here. And how does your spirit react to it?. It's painful. You have to be strong to walk through the storm. I know I'm a bridge between two worlds. All I ask is for people to wash their feet before they try to walk on me."
--Alanis Obomsawin, ABENAKI
For native people who speak their language, English can be very confusing. Many times you cannot express in English the true meaning of Indian words. When we hear something in English we sometimes react or our spirit reacts. Sometimes we need to use English words out of order to express our true meanings. We need to be patient and pray. Living in two worlds can be difficult. Life is painful sometimes. The pain of life is where the lessons are learned.
Creator, let me learn the lessons You have taught my people.
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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
Others don't seem to be interested in our excuses - they merely want performance. Alibis for lack of service, 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.
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.
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December 14 - Daily Feast
If a person is unhappy with himself, he is going to cause others to be unhappy as well. His house is divided against itself - and so it can't stand, and it makes him more unhappy. It is said that every time someone does something wrong, someone sacrifices. It almost seems the innocent have to pay because the guilty will not accept the responsibility. And so the time comes when we stand back and let the irresponsible put down their feet. As long as someone stands for them, they will not learn to stand for themselves. The greatest gift we can give such people is to let them alone - let them find their standing place.
~ We should be better pleased with beholding the good effects of these doctrines in your own practices than with hearing you talk about them. ~
OLD TASSEL - CHEROKEE, 1777
'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler
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Elder's Meditation of the Day - December 14
"Male and female is fundamental to life; partners in work to be done."
--Oren R. Lyons, Spokesman, Traditional Circle of Elders
The Great Spirit created a system which would allow us to reproduce, to have companionship, to love, to laugh, to cry and be happy. Man and Woman each have gifts the other doesn't have. But, together they have these gifts to share with each other. The Great Spirit made it this way. So let us treat each other with respect. Let us look upon each other in a sacred way.
Grandfather, Grandmother, bring the spirits to teach us.
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'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 rebounds. 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 many 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 in 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
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December 15 - Daily Feast
Sit here with me and listen to the woods. Did you know the trees can talk? They do. They tell me all sorts of tales, for most have been here several hundred years and they have seen such things that we can't even imagine. Yes, they have spoken of the wild animals, the strange ones and they have seen the things that made the huge boulders tumble from the ground. They have seen the floods that left these shells buried in the earth. And they can tell of people - your own ancestors. But others, too, drovers with herds of cattle, outlaws and hunters, devious men hiding their cache. Some have left carvings on the stone. Put your arms around that tree as far as you can reach and listen.... What do you hear?
~ Holy Mother Earth, the trees and all nature, are witness of your thoughts and deeds. ~
A WINNEBAGO WISE SAYING
'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler
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Elder's Meditation of the Day - December 15
"People are equal partners with the plants and animals, not their masters who exploit them."
--Haida Gwaii, Traditional Circle of Elders
As human beings, we are not above anything nor are we below anything. Because of being equal, we need to discuss a little about the value of respect. Not just respect when it comes to human beings, but respect when it comes to everything. We are not masters over things; we are caretakers for the Great Spirit. We need to treat all things with respect.
Great Spirit, let me accept and see all things as equal.
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'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 help 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 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.