Daily Feast - October

[bluidkiti]

October 1st - 7th

TEN
Ska' hi

HARVEST MONTH
Duna Na Dee'

When the future historian writes the history of the red man of the forest and the prairie, the name of our great departed Sioux Chief, Sitting Bull, will appear among the noble characters.

October 1 - Daily Feast

What person does not hope for a spiritual experience that will connect him with the inevitable source of all good? What person does not hope for a touch to open his stoney heart to understand his own potential? Who has not fallen prey to a mountain of misinformation and to the belief that there is no justice in the world? While the world of events whirls and spins and shocks the rural soul, the sophisticated person of broader experience says that is the way it is, and they is why we act the way we do. But that very opinion propels a person headlong into the whirring teeth of absolute destruction. Who will hit the button? Who will stop this swift descent? It is a personal responsibility, a very personal responsibility, and who can do it?

~ You can dictate your terms. I am your prisoner, and must submit, but I am still a man, the same as you. ~

BLACK HAWK - SAC

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

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - October 1

"So don't be afraid. What we left behind, leave it back there. Try to do some good. Let's try to take a step, try to think something good."

--Wallace Black Elk, LAKOTA

Every day is a new day. Sometimes we make mistakes. We do not need to carry these mistakes along with us. Take the lessons and leave the mistakes behind. Look forward to today. Today we can do something good. Today we can have good thoughts. Today we can think kind, uplifting thoughts about ourselves. Today I will think good about ...

My Creator, today I ask You to direct my thoughts.

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"THINK on THESE THINGS"
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

If you could remake your personal world, how would you want it? Very few can answer that question immediately. Many cannot answer after a great deal of consideration. Maybe we are drifters to a degree. There seems to be a certain amount of apprehension and fear about saying, or even thinking of what we want out of life. It may be that we feel some of it isn't right to want, or that maybe we are asking more than should be our share.

Money is probably the first thing that most people think about, because of what they could do for themselves and for others. But what of health and peace and love? Without these all the fame and money in the world would be entirely meaningless. Without a spiritual foundation to one's life, all our desires are built on sand. Without knowing where we're going, we are drifters.

To know what we want with good is the first and most important step. As Carlyle wrote, "The man without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder - a waif, a nothing. Have a purpose in life, and, having it, throw such strength of mind and muscle into your work as God has given you."

Tennyson wrote these beautiful words: "More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of. What are men better than sheep or goats, that nourish a blind life within the brain, if, knowing God, they lift no hands of prayer both for themselves and those who call them friends!"

What on this earth could we possibly have of good that has not come from the Almighty? What inroads are made into disease and sickness, what light has focused more understandingly on mental illness and weaknesses, without having been revealed through something greater than we are?

And indeed, to what can we contribute the smallest or the greatest amounts of success, the love we share, the true joys, the peace, and our very breath. How presumptuous of us to believe we own one thing of lasting value that does not come from God.


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October 2 - Daily Feast

Sweet fragrance of the land, herbs and roots and medicines long lost to the general populace, are nonetheless as present as they always have been. We have been so taken with miracle cures, these things have been put away as folklore and not dependable. The simple people at one time had no other alternative - so runs the present-day popular notion. Hard-fought battles over who is to pay for the miracle medicines - and we are grateful for most of them - may turn a venturesome soul back to the soil and back to those things that heal a mind and body without being asked for proof of insurance. But one other thing far too ignored is the power of prayer. No Indian is remiss in blessing his body and soul and spirit because he knows they work together. His prayer is not now and again but regular and potent.

~ The lack of respect for growing, living things soon led to lack of respect for humans too. ~

LUTHER STANDING BEAR - LAKOTA

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

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - October 2

"Laughter - that is something very sacred especially for us Indians."

--John (Fire) Lame Deer, ROSEBUD LAKOTA

Laughter is mental, laughter is emotional, laughter is physical and laughter is spiritual. Laughter helps us find balance. If we get too angry, laughter will turn that emotion in a balanced direction. If we have a mental picture of someone who is too strong, laughter will help ease the tension. If the body is stressed, laughter will release natural relaxants into our muscles and our nervous system. Laughter often changes our attitude. We need to lighten up and laugh more.

Great Spirit, teach me to laugh.

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"THINK on THESE THINGS"
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Aim high, even though it seems at the moment you'll never reach that cherished dream. It is your duty to lift yourself above mediocrity. And if you're afraid your dream will sound foolish, then don't talk about it, work for it.

Some dreams have gossamer wings, too fragile to discuss. We can be so zealous about our plans that we talk away the mystery and lose interest in the things we've begun. Zeal can burn itself out in one, quick, bright flame, or it can be nurtured into strength that is the basis for greatness.

If dreams have substance, then they may well come true. And if they are in line with the law of good, then there will be someone who wants to help. To have the desire to do something that will benefit others, the desire to serve, is to have a dream with solid possibilities.

The aims, then, must be deserving as to become duties. It falls to certain individuals to develop a gift and to use it in helping other people. As German philosopher Immanuel Kant has written, "What are the aims which are at the same time duties? They are the perfecting of ourselves and the happiness of others."


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October 3 - Daily Feast

The first crystal clear morning after days of blue mist is like music after a long silence. Even the cool air does not dampen the spirits of domestic animals and those that live in the woods. A young bobcat in prime coat wanders along the rock ledges in full view but unaware of interested eyes. No doubt he hunts for field mice and that explains why the barn cats have stayed so close to home. We have not felt the extremes of oncoming winter, but time will insure it. Meantime, adjust, adjust. Don't be taken by surprise. Prepare for change and the unexpected within change.

~ Our people possessed remarkable powers of concentration.....and I sometimes fancy that such nearness to nature.....keeps [us] in touch with unseen powers. ~

CHARLES EASTMAN, PHYSICIAN - SANTEE DAKOTA

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

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - October 3

"Spiritual Values are an Attitude."

--Leonard George, Chief Councilor

Attitude is a direction which we follow. If you have a positive attitude, it means you will lean towards a positive direction. If you have a negative attitude, it means you will lean away from the Spirit. Therefore, if we lean toward spiritual values, then our actions will become significant and important. If we lean away from spiritual values, our actions will become insignificant or unimportant. For example, if we value love, we will lean towards it; we will prefer to express and embrace it.

Great Spirit, teach me the significance of spiritual values.

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"THINK on THESE THINGS"
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Courage must have its everyday face. We can't preserve it just for special occasions. We must have courage when we are disappointed, because disappointment is a robber of reason and faith, and even dignity. We must remember that whatever we have to meet there is something within us to help us meet it. But it is like a vein of rich ore. We must tap it, know what it is, and turn it into a finished product that will serve a purpose.

Every day we must have courage to forgive. The adamant we shall always face, but to forgive is to disarm. To forgive is to release and to release is to remove the graceless things that make it necessary to forgive.

A little common, everyday courage can give a life so much more to live for and to find contentment in the knowledge that today I did not give in to the smaller self. And I can draw on the strength from One who bore personal suffering with supreme courage.

A comforting adage is that it is always darkest just before the dawn. The darkness of fear and worry and misunderstanding can last only so long, and then the light of dawn breaks through to show everything in its true perspective.

To someone who is troubled, the darkness holds only the most frightening difficulties. This kind of night seems to have no end, but given a little time it will pass, as will our problems.

The very fact that we are not alone should give some comfort, for no matter what we are experiencing someone else has been there too. We must not delude ourselves with notions that we are meant to be cross-bearers forever.

And frequently, they are much better people who emerge from their own night to remember that it is as important to have faith in the dark as it is easy to have faith in the sunshine.


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October 4 - Daily Feast

We cry because we feel unhappy and unloved. We cry because we care. We cry because we hurt, but more than that, we cry because we are unwise. These are the tears that make more tears. Enough di ga as wo s di! Enough tears! Most of the time we try to have as few tears as possible, but they are as much a part of us as laughter. They can do a cleaning job that nothing else can touch. But like everything else, it can be overdone. Emotional people are usually caring. And it either makes life worthwhile or keeps it in such upheaval that nothing can be positive. There is a time to laugh and a time to cry. We have to remember that enough is enough and try to balance our approach to living.

~ I heard....that I should be like a man without a country. I shed tears. ~

LITTLE WOUND

"A Cherokee Feast of Days" by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - October 4

"Search for the truth. Indian values teach the holistic approach to the use of technology for mankind's good."

--Al Qoyawayma, HOPI

The Great Spirit had given us certain values to live by. If we learn to think in harmony with these values such as respect, love, patience, tolerance, commitment, trust, etc., we cannot get off track. No matter what we do, we will always be in harmony. For example, if we are respectful, then we will respect the earth, our children, our women, our men and ourselves. Indian values help us walk under the guidance of the Great Spirit.

My Creator, today I search for the truth, Your truth. Please let me see it.

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THINK ON THESE THINGS
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Faith doesn't demand possible things -- it demands the impossible. When we have a promise in hand we have to look fear in the face and say this thing is going to happen.

Say to the mountain that needs to be moved to be gone. Whether it is disease that someone said is incurable, or a bank account the has no shape but bad, speak to it. But never forget to rejoice and to thank the Power for hearing our words.

When we do these things we are walking into the land of the impossible. Such fun to see things and circumstances conforming to our words of faith. Such delight to know we are not lost and we are not tied down by impossibility. We CAN be healed, we can be prospered and we can be free -- when we say it and believe it.


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October 5 - Daily Feast

Dozens of experts are ready to tell you what cannot be done. The difference is in the person doing it. It isn't a matter of trying harder or giving more. Frequently, something doesn't click into place until we turn it loose and walk away. The release is not to accept defeat but it is saying we have done what we can and now we will stand and let it work. Mental and spiritual work continues - even after we relax. The mind will try to take over but can be brought into line by the spirit, which is most important from start to finish. It furnishes the wisdom, the gratitude, the connection with U ne la nv hi, Who made all things.

~ The Great Spirit put it in the right place. ~

ARAPOOISH

"A Cherokee Feast of Days" by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - October 5

"The dances are prayers."

--Pop Chalee, TAOS PUEBLO

When we dance to the drum we pray to the Creator and attract the heartbeat of the earth. We never dance without reason; every dance has a purpose. We dance for rain; we dance for healing; we dance for seasons; we dance for joy; we dance for our children; we dance for the people; we dance for courage. The drum plays to the beat of the heart, to the beat of the Earth. The drum connects us to the Earth while we dance our prayers.

Oh, Great One, let my dance and prayer be heard by You.

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THINK ON THESE THINGS
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Let's not forget Dr. Schuller's words when he was asked why so many of our people were killed in the terrorists' attack on New York and in Washington. He said, "Take an O out of good and we have God; put a D before evil and we have devil."

Can it be any plainer? We are told that we are not dealing with flesh and blood but with principalities and powers in evil places. Our spirits are whispering, "In all these things I am more than a conqueror." This is not just a wish but a truth.

At one time it was "cool" to say we did not believe in spiritual help, but now it is cool to know we are of ourselves no strength, but with help we are overcomers, conquerors in the truest sense.


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October 6 - Daily Feast

Living is a little like a wedding - to make a deal takes only a minute, but to live with it may take a lifetime. Many have not learned that life is not a quick trip down the isle and if you don't find it to your liking you can start all over again. A good marriage is one of adjustments and then readjustment. It is sharing the hardships and the growing and sweetening that are in the middle of hardships. Little can compare with faith and looking out for others. It is giving and receiving, and we know it is not something outside ourselves that makes life worthwhile but what we have in our hearts.

~ I will keep my word until the stones melt. ~

DELSHAY - APACHE

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

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - October 6

"Lots of people hardly ever feel real soil under their feet, see plants grow except in flower pots, or get fare enough beyond the street light to catch the enchantment of a night sky studded with stars. When people live far from scenes of the Great Spirit's making, it's easy for them to forget His laws."

--Tatanga Mani (Walking Buffalo), STONEY

Nature is life's greatest teacher. The natural laws are hidden in nature. Hidden are solutions to everyday problems such as conflict resolution, how to forgive, lessons about differences, how to manage organizations, how to think. Hidden are feelings. You can look at something and you will feel it. At night, have you ever looked at the sky when there are no clouds? As you look at all the stars, your heart will become very joyful. You will walk away feeling joyful and peaceful. We need to visit nature so we can see and feel these things.

My Creator, let me learn nature's lessons.

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"THINK on THESE THINGS"
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Why is it that the things we love so much can cause us so much pain, and perhaps without realizing it? Why is it that we find so much to worry about in all the "what ifs" that cross our minds with such persistence? What makes fatigue follow us through the hours and drain away precious strength that we need to help us in our daily routine?

All the things that plague us daily have one common cause-fear. To some, fear is a constant companion. We may call it by many other names such as necessity, time, busyness, demands, but all of these can be forms of fear.

Fear produces the most mental, physical, and spiritual fatigue that has ever overtaken humans. It rushes us so that we have accidents. It drains us of strength to resist illness. It tells us we cannot produce enough to meet the demands upon us. And it builds within our minds such dire images so that we cannot face the simplest.

Fear has one antidote. It is not to stop worrying and take it easy, but it is faith. Adverse conditions cannot break us in the face of faith. Faith allows us to look fear in the eyes with such confidence that it loses its power over us.

English divine, Fredrick William Robertson, wrote, "To believe is strong. Doubt cramps energy. Belief is power."


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October 7 - Daily Feast

We get to know ourselves when we are alone. What may have brought us to this place may not be as important as what to do now that we are here. When we are with other people we listen to them, but in solitude we follow our own way. Great strength comes from the quiet and it prepares us for times when the sands run very fast. Solitude is never withdrawal but being with ourselves, learning what affects us, and what of it can be given to others. We learn how to be a good friend when our attention is not divided - a good friend to ourselves and a good friend to another who needs it.

~ It is hard to fight people that live like groundhogs. ~

TECUMSEH - SHAWNEE

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

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - October 7

"We have a biological father and mother, but our real Father is Tunkashila [Creator] and our real Mother is the Earth."

--Wallace Black Elk, LAKOTA

Who really gives us our life? Who really gives us our food and nurturing? Who really allows us to be born? We are born through our parents who act as the vehicle of life for the Creator and Mother Earth. Our parents take care of us for a little while and when we are ready we must leave them and be faithful to our true Father, the Creator, and our true Mother, the Earth. Then we need to be of service to the Creator and be respectful to Mother Earth.

Great Spirit, thank you for being my Father. Teach me to honor the Earth.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

At these times when we have planned for something and have our hearts set on our affairs going in a certain direction but they fail to materialize, we are disappointed. If we have any faith at all, we must remember that one door never closes but another opens. That which once seemed the right thing to plan for may not hold all the things that would be for our good in the long run. It may have been right in the beginning, but as times passes and other events come into being, a change may be necessary for the benefit of the over-all picture.

Sometimes we affix our attention so rigidly on one thing, one part of life, one person, that a change throws us into a state of extreme disappointment. But disappointment, like all of the emotions, can serve to strengthen rather than take away. The attitude with which we face life can determine its outcome.

We can look with woeful eyes on the negative mental attitude and wallow in self-pity, or we can flip the mind to the upper side and let the positive mental attitude bring to us the strength and peace we need.

Disappointment is something no one has escaped. The many plans we make sometimes fade like mist in the sunlight. A cherished dream may take another shape and to lose that vision can throw a dim view on all of life. Because one tiny part could not be fulfilled, we are so tempted to let all of the rest go with it.

But if only we could wait a bit. So often we then come to realize the reason for our change in plans.

Sometimes disappointment is the very thing that keeps us mounting the steps upward, keeps us stretching our minds to understand. And it may test our spirits. For if disappointment can make a spirit better, the joy of accomplishment would have soon soured.

There is no joy in disappointment, but it may be the thing to save us from a life of mediocrity.

English novelist Edward George Bulwer-Lytton wrote, "Man must be disappointed with the lesser things in life before he can comprehend the full value of the greater."

[bluidkiti]

October 8 - Daily Feast

St. James says to keep quiet, control your tongue - though no one ever has. Your boat may be huge, but your little tongue is a rudder that can turn a very big ship in the wrong direction. The tongue is like kindling wood that can set a whole woods on fire. Keep your tongue quiet, very quiet. And then St. Mark says to speak - speak to the mountain and tell it to be gone. Not only be gone but sink into the sea. A mountain of trouble needs us to use our tongues. Speak what you want and need, not what you do not want. There is a time to speak and a time to keep silence. These are the times that make us who we are, what we are, and what we will have. Life and death are in the power of the tongue.

~ You say you are right and we are wrong. How do you know this to be true? ~

RED JACKET - SENECA, 1800s

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

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - October 8

"I think there was a big mistake made (when) people separated religion and the government. That was one of the big mistakes that was made, because when they did that, then they removed the Creator from their life - or at least from half to three-quarters of their life."

--Tom Porter, MOHAWK

The Elders tell us that every thing the Creator made is interconnected. Nothing can be separated. The Elders say we should pray before we do anything. We should ask the Creator, what do You want us to do? We are put on the Earth to do the will of God. If we run our governments, communities, families or ourselves without the spiritual we are doomed to failure.

My Creator, guide my life to include the spiritual in everything I do.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Isn't it true that when someone says something is wrong, our first thought is, "What have I done wrong now?" That constant fear of having a finger of accusation pointed in our direction - that guilt complex that can plague us into admitting guilt when it isn't ours.

Shakespeare wrote, "The mind of guilt is full of scorpions." And surely it is. For we often take more on with a feeling of guilt than is required of us. It is more often a feeling of fear, fear of being ridiculed, blamed, or even threatened.

A guilt complex can be erased. Not in a day, and maybe not completely, unless we are dedicated to keeping it out of our minds. We are so prone to throw fuel on the fire that we must always be completely aware of the thoughts we entertain.

But certainly, with turning to our innate faith and wisdom we can find enough courage to recognize the ghosts of guilt and see them for what they are.

Perhaps in the final analysis we find we were not guilty at all. We feel relieved, but if we were guilty, the relief of admitting mistakes is just as great.


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October 9 - Daily Feast

Never take on more than is yours to handle. When you are a caretaker by nature, it can appear that the whole world rests on your shoulders. Some of it does, of course, because no one is without responsibility. But when you begin to think you have to do it all, it is time to back off and reassess your position. Life is a matter of give and take - and if you try to do all the giving, someone is going to get the idea they don't have to do anything. The only way they can receive is to give first. And if someone else does all the giving, there's something amiss - and it may be you.

~ Our patience....is exhausted, and we are discouraged from persevering any longer. ~

JOSEPH BRYANT - MOHAWK, 1800s

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

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - October 9

"That spiritual power I wear is much more beautiful and much greater. We call it wisdom, knowledge, power and gift or love. There are these four parts to that spiritual power. So I wear those. When you wear that power it will beautify your mind and spirit. You become beautiful. Everything that Tunkashila creates is beautiful."

--Wallace Black Elk, LAKOTA

When I was young, I asked my grandfather, "What should I pray for?" He thought for a long time and then he said, "Pray only for wisdom and for the knowledge of love." This makes a lot of sense. No matter what happens I ask the Creator to show me the lessons I should be learning. I pray for Him to help me learn the lessons. By doing this everyday we become beautiful human beings.

Great Spirit, grant me Your wisdom.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

It has become increasingly noticeable how the power grab has reached even the lower levels of living. It is a right thing for us to try to raise ourselves. To fail to try would earmark us for failure....and yet up the shaky ladder of success climb so many bodies without spirits, so little understanding of what is ahead....and often less of what is past.

If we could only realize our power comes not from grasping the coattails of others, but from a higher source that knows the way....that places before us the right steps, the correct manner, the much needed wisdom and inspiration.

Why is it that when all this guidance is available to us, we let the littleness of our souls hold us back, believing all the time that any forward motion is because we have learned how to twist situations to our own avail.

How sad the lot of those who discover all the rungs on their ladder are on the same level. "Power will intoxicate the best hearts, as wine the strongest heads," wrote Caleb Colton. "No man is wise enough, nor good enough, to be trusted with unlimited power."


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October 10 - Daily Feast

If you argue with stupid reasoning you end up being stupid. Expressing an opinion can run you out of bounds and into areas that are not yours to argue. And no one has any business matching wits with someone who hasn't a notion of honor. Consider what good can possibly come from a heated debate with someone who is in it for the argument alone. When there is noise and insult, the reason is weak. Someone said ignorance is behind every argument - but let's not let it be ours.

~ You pretty good fighter, Quanah, but you not know everything. ~

QUANAH PARKER - COMANCHE, 1800s

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

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - October 10

"I think that's what unity is - knowing one another and coming together and working with no conflict."

--Chief Alan Wilson, HAIDA

When we are aligned with spiritual values, we cannot be in fear or conflict. When we are aligned to spiritual values, we have the Creator whispering solutions in our ears. Unity is one of the spiritual values. When we value unity we value solutions. If we think this way, then we have no conflict within ourselves.

Great Spirit, let me see through Your eyes.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

We all know that if it were not for the little kindnesses, the helping hands that we receive from those who touch our lives daily, we would fall more often and much harder. Yet, we must remember there comes a time when we cannot expect others to rush to our aid. It is then that we test the strength of our own self-reliance.

We should make every effort to be worthy of the concern and help of others. It is sharing all phases of life that makes living more than just an existence. But none of us can support others for long who have no will to use their self-reliance. It is said that God helps those who help themselves, but even God cannot help where help is refused.

Then, how much can we depend on ourselves? How could we react to the same situations we see other people experiencing daily? We, who depend on much on our external advantages to pull us through, cannot truthfully foretell our actions in a crisis. But we can have a reserve of faith and strength behind us so that when others reach out to lift us up, we will be worthy of their time spent in helping to build our self-reliance.


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October 11 - Daily Feast

Know who you are and don't worry about what other people think. Be your own best friend and resist trouble like wildfire. Be steadfast in good times and bad, tell fear to get lost and do away with doubt the way you would turn a hose on a fire. Never fall into the habit of believing you are always in the wrong. It can be a sufferer's trap, like a wastebasket that catches all the trash. Time is precious and you don't have time to stand in a hole. Make a difference now by lifting your vision of yourself. There's no such thing as bad blood when your heart is right.

~ French trappers said a great many things to our fathers, which have been planted in our hearts. ~

CHIEF JOSEPH - NEZ PERCE

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

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - October 11

"Men and women have an equal responsibility to restore the strength of the family, which is the foundation of all cultures."

--Haida Gwaii Traditional Circle of Elders

The family is the heartbeat of strength of the culture. The grandfathers and grandmothers taught their children; they in turn had children who taught their children. If the family isn't taught the culture, then the children become adults and the adults become the grandfathers and grandmothers and the result is the culture becomes lost. This is how language is lost; this is how dances are lost; this is how knowledge is lost. We need to listen to our Elders, today, before it's too late.

Great Spirit, teach me the culture so I can teach the children.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

In those moments when we quietly sit with mind centered on the fact that God is only good, and that no situation devious or twisted in appearance, has any power except that which we give it by dwelling on how terrible it is - then, there is hope.

If we can become quiet enough in our own minds to know God is good, it will produce one of those times of sweet serenity that settles like an invisible veil between us and our troubles. In those moments of growth and faith will come peace that passes all understanding.

It is good to live an active life, but some of life's most productive moments are not when the mind and body are hurled through hectic hours at a furious pace. Life offers many tender and beautiful times that demand nothing and give only a quiet calm that will never come in pill form.

Contrary to the belief in any power except God's, there is a happy medium. It does not come simply by demanding, and there are times when it can be touched on only so briefly. But even in our sore travails there is a time when life finds balance and we live in harmony with God's laws.


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October 12 - Daily Feast

The path to the woods is soft and silent underfoot. Wet leaves pad the ground beneath the trees and bright patches of green moss cover every rock. Many plants in sheltered places thrive even now. This place is sweet solitude-but never silent. Twittering birds have moved in for the winter and the red and blue of the cardinals and bluejays color the darkening woods. Time hangs between autumn and winter in mellow breezes and a few bright yellow sunflowers. It is a pensive time, a time to reflect and let go and enjoy.

~ The old Indian still sits upon the earth instead of propping himself up and away from its life-giving forces. ~

STANDING BEAR - LAKOTA SIOUX

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

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - October 12

"The obstacle to the internal nature is the mind. If it relies on logic such as the white man's mind, the domain of the inner nature is inaccessible.The simple fact is a man does not challenge the wisdom of the Holy Mystery.

--Turtleheart, TETON SIOUX

Why is it we need to analyze and understand everything? The Great Mystery has designed certain areas of creation to be a mystery because humans usually miss-use it. We use the Great Mystery and see It unfold only under the direction of the Great Spirit. The Creator is in charge.

Great Spirit, let me realize You are in charge. I'm to do what You want.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

It is easy to have faith God and love everyone on days when the world is all in order.

There are other days that seem to require more effort than any normal person can possibly muster. Each step seems to be an obstacle to overcome. Every hurt and thought of resentment presents itself in a clamorous roar.

Weariness of body, soul, and spirit will nag the strongest beings into dark moods unless they can find a time away from all that plagues them. That time may be hard to come by, but even a few moments can bring a problem to light.

Twinges of jealousy, feelings of anxiety, all scatter in that light. When the attention is turned from those things that make life all too ordinary they immediately, like a procession, march toward the God-self.

To spend only a few moments counting our blessings will tell us that life is well worth living....the satisfaction of a job well done, the companionship of good friends with whom we share the lighter side and the ones who understand our darkest moods are all blessings.


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October 13 - Daily Feast

Luther, a Tsa la gi, explained his creative God by saying, "God take Himself and make the fish, God take Himself and make the tsi s du [rabbit]; He take Himself and make the wa ya [wolf]; He take Himself and make the squirrel, and He take Himself and make me. These things my brothers." But, Luther, what do you do when you want to go squirrel hunting? Merriment danced in his black eyes and he added, "I just say, Squirrel-Brother, God made you for me!"

~ I traveled thousands of miles along our winding trails, through unbroken solitude's of the wild forest, listening to the songs of the woodland birds. ~

POKOGON - POTAWTOMI CHIEF, 1833

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

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - October 13

"So unbelievable things like that happen. But you have to believe it first. Not wait until you see it first, then touch it, then believe it... You have to say it from the heart."

--Wallace Black Elk, LAKOTA

The power of our belief system is incredible. The power of faith is a very natural power. How do we have faith? Inside of our minds we form a mental picture with our self talk. Self talk is recorded in our minds in three dimensions - words that trigger a picture, which has a feeling or an emotion attached to it. Once we get the words and the picture, it is the emotion that makes the idea turn into a belief. You get the right emotion by saying things from the heart. The heart is the source of emotions which can cause unbelievable things to happen.

Great Spirit, with You everything is possible.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Everyone must have a way of life. The home, the position, the social level, the health of the body and of the emotions are all a part of daily living. But beyond that there must be a reason, a way of life. We must believe in something, live by something, and have a shelter within ourselves where there are no pretenses.

Life cannot be one carefree round of living on the surface. It is a thing of depth and width and height, and full of avenues never investigated. Like the body, it is made up of many parts. Beneath the skin there must beat a heart, a network of nerves, the strength of muscles, and much we cannot begin to explain.

As the body depends upon the heart we must have in our lives something to depend upon, something with which to identify ourselves. There must be a central point, a hitching post to keep all of life running smoothly.

We need something to help us retreat as well as to go forward. We must have something to live by, as well as something for which we would willing die. We need divine wisdom to see, and the strength to break away, those almost invisible fingers of possessiveness that grip our lives.

We do not simply live, we live because. We live because of others, because of beautiful things and times and places. We live because God gave us life, to be happy in, and to find a special way.


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October 14 - Daily Feast

Contentment happens when our emotions give place to common things that in other times can draw little attention. It is releasing a deep inner peace that heals sadness and lifts a sagging spirit. Contentment is an intensely personal thing, adjusting to different people in its most effective way. It rides a shaft of sunlight to put on the gray bark of a tree, or it rises from laughter, deep and kind. It is nearly always unexpected and settles as softly as a bird lights on a limb. It is a remarkable fact that we simply let contentment happen. Socrates called it a natural wealth, but most have called it a miracle.

~ Kinship with all creatures of the earth, sky and water was a real and active principle. ~

CHIEF STANDING BEAR - SIOUX, 1800s

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

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - October 14

"Each soul must meet the morning sun, the new sweet earth and the Great Silence alone!"

--Ohiyesa (Dr. Charles A. Eastman), SANTEE SIOUX

The most important thing we can do during the course of the day is pray in the morning. There is a special time in the morning that has great power. This is the exact time the sun is rising. During the rising of the sun, everything on the Earth is waking up. Animals, plants, birds and humans will be blessed at the rising of the sun. This is a special time to help us prepare for the day. During this time we ask the Creator to bless our day. We ask Him to guide us, to protect us and to give us courage to overcome the day's obstacles. Doing this everyday will give us knowledge of God's will for us.

Grandfather, Grandmother, guide my path. Let my thinking be guided by You.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

When there's thinking to be done a person does well to have a little private retreat.....a place where there's no worry that any minute someone will interrupt. And the very ease of knowing that here is a little time to do nothing but just think.

Except that I must carefully direct those thoughts so never to let them roam to things that serve only to disturb. But where does one find a place these days that affords a time alone?

It doesn't take much room to think. Some have little special places hidden from view.....a hillside maybe.....a sunny spot along a path.....a closet not so large.....a park bench.....or they may even take a drive.

But that place that is always available to us is that place within our own selves. This is the secret place within the heart where desires are stored. And no matter what we do, where we go, thoughts are productive.

Here is where thankfulness is stored.....here is where love is born.....here is where the very life of life is built and rebuilt. This is our retreat when there's thinking to be done.


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October 15 - Daily Feast

Some of us go to great lengths to keep from doing detail work - anything from flipping through a directory for one name in ten thousand to guessing at amounts in a recipe. No time, no time. Time isn't saved by guessing. Even when we hit it right once in a while - most of the time we are just a little off. How many of us take our basic instructions from hearsay - how many don't really want to know anyhow? Life itself has an instruction book. There's no reason to guess at what is right or wrong. We have a script for every part we play in life. When we have a need of any kind, the script has the wisdom to handle it. The Scriptures leave out nothing - and the biggest mistake we can make is to say we don't believe it - and go off to figure it out by guessing.

~ We were put here by the Creator and these were our rights. ~

CHIEF WENINOCK - YAKIMA, 1855

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

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - October 15

"All of us begin to rethink what is good about ourselves - put the past where it belongs - and get on with the possibilities of the present!"

--Howard Rainer, TAOS PUEBLO-CREEK

There is a saying, you move toward and become that which you think about. So the question for today is, what are you thinking about? Are you thinking bad things about yourself or are you thinking good things about yourself? Are you thinking about a worldly life? Are you thinking good things about people or are you gossiping about people? Are you focusing on past things or are you living in the future? We need to bring our thoughts into the NOW, right here.

Great Spirit, let me experience living in the present moment.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

When winter presses a cold, gray hand against every living thing and temporarily puts to sleep all outward growth and activity of other seasons, there is within a quiet, invisible, but very active preparation for a lighter, warmer time.

There are times when the winters of life press hard upon us, seeming to keep from us any hope for good. But as the coldest winter does not prevent a tulip from developing a blaze of color within the bulb, there is nothing to prevent our own inner growth.

We quite naturally want the things that will make us happy and we want them now. But there is still a time of preparation, the development of our abilities to recognize the good and the beautiful when we see it. Otherwise, we are apt to look past them, still searching.

The tulip has a plan drawn by God's hand, and more beautiful than anything we can make. We have a way of moving from one time to another, waiting for life to come to us instead of having a plan. But during those waiting periods we need to make a little effort to determine the course and to be ready when the right time comes.

[bluidkiti]

October 16 - Daily Feast

There were ducks on the pond this morning, a pair of blue-winged teals gliding smoothly along and stopping only to feed. They were oblivious to cattle feeding along the slopes - and even to footsteps on the grass. It is a calm peace of mind that is not easily startled. Everywhere is beauty, the cottonwood tree white against the oaks and evergreens, the ungainly heron wading at the water's edge. So common and so unlikely to attract attention because it all fits together in a picture so easily taken for granted. But the peace cannot be taken for granted because it seeps into the soul like sunlight pierces the deepest shadows - and rests.

~ I questioned the trees and bushes....Who made you? In dream Wakan Tanka told me I must honor his works in nature. ~

BRAVE BUFFALO - SIOUX

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

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - October 16

"Many religions have been brought to this land. And the way my religion is, they teach me, and they taught me, and told me to respect all religions. And I still do that."

--Horace Axtell, NEZ PERCE

The Creator put on this Earth many different religions which represent different roads to walk to God. All religions are right and good if the path is the path to God. Should we be judging which road is better or worse than the other? When we accept each other's way we can stand in a circle, hold hands and listen to each other as we pray to God. Let us be more accepting of the religions of others.

Great Spirit - God, Grandfather, Grandmother, Lord - let me know peace.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

It is said that pearls worn by a happy person have a warm and more lustrous glow.

Pearls are like gentle moments strung together for the happy person - they cannot help but glow.

Gentle moments, like pearls, seem to be so few. Yet, how rich and warm and beautiful they make our lives.

It takes only a few moments to enjoy a talk with someone about good things instead of the bad; it takes only a few moments to drop a line to a shut-in when attention means so much. It takes only a few moments to see a sunset, or read a Scripture, or listen to a child talk.

It takes only a few moments to open the door to happiness. And if happiness seems only a few moments long, so will trouble if we open the door and let it out instead of harboring it.

Life is made up of a few moments all strung together like pearls. Each moment is a pearl, and it is up to us to pick the ones with the highest luster. If we do not have time to do great things, take a few gentle moments and do small things in a great way.


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October 17 - Daily Feast

We forget the road we have been over together....how difficult it was and how good. We matured together, giving courage and understanding. Undoubted loyalty is there between us, knowing always that we can rely on kindness. We put aside anything we could not understand until it became clear. The divine wrote in our contract to take care of this person, to load every rift with good humor and good words and always with the knowledge that we are not alone. We have planted good seeds, we have cultivated - so now comes the harvest. The joy of it is knowing we are not alone.

~ It is the same with human beings - there is someplace which is best adapted to each. ~

OKUTE - TETON SIOUX, 1911

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

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - October 17

"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 Higher Power for help we find peace.

Creator, help me to find peace.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Some of the dearest moments ever spent are those on the road I didn't want to travel. And some of the most magnificent doors I've ever passed through are where before there was no way.

Some of the kindest people I shall ever know are the ones I didn't want to meet. And the greatest abundance I've ever received came from a pittance I wanted to withhold.

Tears I have wanted to shed have turned to happiness because for a moment I could see beyond them. And hope has saved everything when I wanted most to give up in despair.

And suddenly I realize how great my progress could be if I could get myself and my emotions out of the way. How hard I push against the door that opens inward - inward, where faith and hope and trust abide.

There's not enough ambling done any more. There are too many deadlines. Time for a favorite TV show, time to take pills, time for appointments, time to catch a plane. Life is one continual alarm clock.

Never a gentle gait, but always at a dogtrot to meet those deadlines. It seems that dawdling along or staring into space is a waste of time, as the ambitious, eager for superiority, move dangerously ahead.

Many great people have known the wisdom of safeguarding their health and security by taking time to analyze, not in the role of fact sifting, but by allowing the mind to amble, to drift openly from thought to thought. This sitting idly on the sidelines and fishing quietly in the mind can catch many a solution that casting would never hook.

After a period of creative silence, attacking any deadline is made simple. The mind has had time to lay down the brittle aggressiveness and is ready to operate efficiently. Even physical weariness passes and the goal ahead isn't far in the distance.

When there isn't time to go fishing, remember the words of American author William Mathews, "Knowledge is acquired by study and observation, but wisdom cometh by opportunity of leisure. The ripest thoughts come from a mind which is not always on the stretch, but fed, at times, by a wise passiveness."


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October 18 - Daily Feast

The plain and simple doorstep has tremendous value. At any time of day or night it offers the finest view, the tranquil quiet of the autumn woods and the flickering pattern of dancing leaves. Sit here for a few moments and leaves drift down, a monarch butterfly feeds on a pot of petunias and wispy clouds show through holes in the trees' canopy. A few industrious ants are still at work around the doorstep and watching them slows the heart beat and paces the spirit. If it were not for this doorstep, much would slip by without notice. Peace would escape us, and time would be used in ways that took all and gave nothing.

~ I have learned a lot from the trees; sometimes about the weather, sometimes about animals, sometimes about the Great Spirit. ~

TATANGA MANI - STONEY

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

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - October 18

"But we have to stick by the wisdom of our ancestors..."

--Paula Weasel Head, BLOOD

A long time ago the Elders and our ancestors learned to walk on the Earth and to live in harmony. They were taught the Laws which govern everything, and they were taught traditional values. This wisdom should be made available to the younger generations. We need to speak to the Elders and learn from them. We need to do this so we can pass the knowledge on to our children.

My Creator, help me learn the wisdom of my ancestors.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

I don't know what time it is, It may be very late,
But I have dreams to dream and thoughts to think that simply cannot wait.
I don't know what the weather is, it may be sun or snow.
But in these books and at this time are things I need to know.
I'm not so sure that I'm alone, or if there's someone there;
It would be nice to hear a voice, for there is much to share.
I don't need to know your faults, they may not be for me.
No critic enters in this place, nor do my faults they see,
For only One Pure Being knows the time, or shows through your dear face,
Only the One Presence fills our hearts to share this quiet place.


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October 19 - Daily Feast

It may be that we stay in difficulty too long because of the habitual comfort of a familiar place. The ache for the old and familiar are parts of the spirit of hindrance that keeps us trying to overcome things without too much success. A continual suggestion says that things are never going to be any different - that we can go no further and life can be no different. But we can! It can be different and it will as soon as we reject feelings of being frozen in space. Such feelings are signs that good change is in the offing and all we have to do is walk and talk the part - and to show gratitude that the Great Spirit is ever with us.

~ Men must be born and reborn to belong. ~

CHIEF LUTHER STANDING BEAR

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

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - October 19

"The teachings are for all, not just for Indians... The white people never wanted to learn before. They thought we were savages. Now they have a different understanding, and they do want to learn. We are all children of God. The tradition is open to anyone who wants to learn."

--Don Jose Matusuwa, HUICHOL

In the summer of 1994, a white buffalo calf was born. This means that now is the time for all races to come together. The Elders say that at this time a voice from within will speak to everyone. It will say now is the time to forgive, now is the time to come together. Are we willing to do this? Are we willing to quit judging other people? The Elders say, He will be talking through people of all races and gender. We need to open our hearts and welcome our brothers and sisters.

Great Spirit, let my ears be open as I walk the path You have chosen for me.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Autumn, described by John Keats as the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, is the most restful of all season. We are sensitive to a change of seasons. And at this particular time we stop to consider what our harvest is, and then the age-old promise to ourselves that next year will be better, and more productive.

But now the peace and serenity of the season is upon us, and the Artist has painted for our eyes to see the most beautiful of all seasons - the autumn.

Scattered frost has touched everything just enough to give a mottled pattern of brown and green. Early morning mists, blue and gray, hang low in the hills; brilliant red sumac and maples gold and burgundy stand out like jewels among the yellow elms.

There is a whole new world for those who wish to open their spiritual eyes. We need to insist that worries take the back seat while we sniff the sweet scent of wood smoke, and see the lavender-pink sunsets and autumn haze that settles like soft, blue fingers through the valleys. This is a picture for the soul by the Master Artist.


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October 20 - Daily Feast

Every person's privilege is to stand on tiptoe and take a look over the edge. What is the edge? A place where fear lurks and no one dares to get too close. Many a dream has taken us up to the edge and with quaking knees to look over the immense distance between what could be and what is reality. Most people end it right there and refuse to be scared any longer. Change is here. We can fall over the edge or we can believe in something greater than the tangible. Let go of the weak and impossible and stand in the Light that never goes out.

~ Let him be just and deal kindly with my people. ~

DEATTLE - DWAMISH CHIEF

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

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - October 20

"As Elders, it is our place to show respect to our young people in order to gain respect."

--Grace Azak, NISGA'A

The attitude of our leaders will be the attitude of the people. The attitude of the parents will be the attitude of the children. If respect is shown from above, respect will be developed below. If the Elders show respect, the younger people will be respectful. As above, so below. This happens because of interconnectedness. The heart of the Elders is connected to the heart of the youth.

Great Spirit, in the fall season let me respect both the Elders and the youth.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Why is it that we require so much scientific proof for the most ordinary things these days, when the very fact that we lie down and close our eyes at night is the highest proof that God's world is in order. Though perhaps our personal world may not know such sequence. There comes a time when our human limitations insist that we lay down our questions and accept by faith the only way to survive ourselves.

There are those who say they must have tangible evidence that the world and all its wonders be displayed before their eyes to see in wisdom the way things really are. And yet who said the human eyes could see or ears could hear more than one tiny bit of the wonder. Who could be so bold as to believe their senses were strong enough to know, except through faith.

Who could see with the visible eye the hand that changes the seasons, or hear Job's stars that sang together at dawn. Who set the day at rest and brings the morning in all its newness.

Only so far.....then explanations know no more.....and though we try to disbelieve when all goes wrong, there comes a time when we want no more explanation than that God's world is in order - and we cannot change it.

Surely if someone took our hand and asked us to walk along the world and view the wonders so magnificently displayed....If by some miracle we could see the vastness of it all at once, and still bear up under the beauty of it....

If we can see the rolling rise and fall of the land - the purple, pink, and golden hues of shadows hung along the mountain sides....If our ears could hear the music of the rippling streams, the rushing waters, the graceful falls.

If by some mere chance we could sense the ebb and flow, the push and relaxing of the tides, the rise and set of the sun, the glittering stars and soft-faced moon that ignores the fact that other worlds encircle ours.....

And as the seasons sprinkle rain and flowers, golden leaves and snowfall.....On this continuous circle.....always new.....always beautiful.....

If we can see al this, how then, can we doubt that the earth that God created and saw as good is good. This is our land, and only our own forgetfulness of its source can make it different.


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October 21 - Daily Feast

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

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

YOUNG CHIEF - CAYUSE

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

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - October 21

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

--Geronimo, APACHE

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

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

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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

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

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

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


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October 22 - Daily Feast

Life is a decision, a personal decision. We can stand on drifting sand and believe that whatever will be, will be, or we can stand firmly on principle that if something is wrong we can change it. Instead of nursing pulse-taking tendencies and listening to every commercial on what is available for medical treatment, remember our instructions: Let the weak say, "I am strong." We can become victims of temporary relief or we can separate ourselves from the hype and discover renewal that is not temporary - but eternal. Relief by the Spirit is a reality - and totally free.

~ This house, the home of the English, is a medicine house, and you come here to tell us lies. ~

SITTING BULL - SIOUX

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

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - October 22

"Growth is a painful process."

--Wilma Mankiller, CHEROKEE

Whenever we grow, we usually need to let go of emotional attachments. Letting go can be painful. Sometimes growth allows us to deal with fear. All fear can fit into two categories: one, we're going to lose something we have, and two, we're not going to get something we want. Both of these categories can cause pain. The best way to grow is to pray to the Great Spirit and ask Him to guide and protect us. All growth is guided by God.

My Creator, guide my growth today and give me Your love and courage to help my pain.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Thoughts are things. Left unguarded we can expect them to rule us with ruthless persistence. Like attracts like. We are what we think.

Emerson believed there was something stronger than any material force. It was his belief that thought rules the world. To think positively is sometimes referred to as refusing to face reality. But who is wise enough to determine what reality is, and who can describe it? The things we see and touch are merely objects made up of tiny particles we can't see individually. So it is with reality - tiny thoughts we don't remember thinking, but the result is obviously positive or negative.

If we think continually of how sick and nervous, how unhappy and poverty-stricken we are, then we can expect to be so afflicted. Tiny thoughts produce large results. When we've learned to control our thinking, then we have a chance to control our circumstances.

Imperfect thoughts, like unsavory characters, can come to anyone's door, but we don't have to let them in. Sometimes we have to look beyond present appearances and see the truth of things, to know that any product is worth only as much as the quality of its materials. We would be wise to put into practice the teachings of Philippians 4:8.

"Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise.....think on these things."


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October 23 - Daily Feast

Opportunities abound to us every day. There is an opportunity to be sick, the opportunity to argue with someone, the opportunity to be discourteous, the opportunity to believe something that is not true. Stop thinking you have no opportunity. You have had every chance to do many things and some of them you have received. You were led astray by thinking you could not help yourself. We can help ourselves. By the words of our mouths, by what we say, how we think, what we believe, we help or break ourselves. Victory comes because we are consistent in saying we are well, we are strong, we are enormously happy.

~ They told us not to drink whiskey, yet they made it themselves and traded it to us for furs and robes. ~

PLENTY COUPS - CROW

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

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - October 23

"We do not walk alone. Great Being walks beside us. Know this and be grateful."

--Polingaysi Q"yawayma, HOPI

Many religions have different names for these Beings. Some are called angels, some are called spirits. These Spirit Beings are helpers. They guide us, protect us and will help us during our times of need. Sometimes they give us dreams. We need not be afraid when these Spirit Helpers come. We need to understand they are the Creator's helpers.

Great Spirit, send me the helpers to guide my path as I seek to walk in Your service.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

In the frantic search for something that has meaning to life, we have a tendency to do a thing simply because everyone else is doing it. It becomes a "thing", a fad that must be done to keep on the inside circle. There's little originality, little thought, but a lot of following along in beaten paths.

It is a mistaken idea to believe that all I see with my eyes and the limits of my thinking are the limits of my world. There is a tremendously interesting world out there never before investigated, and I am in individual like no one else.

It is quite marvelous to break through the shell of the middling and to discover the ability to see and feel, and to hear more keenly. Suddenly, I can feel more kindly, not because of who I am on this earth, but because I'm a child of God.

I can see more color, more light, more vision because I'm not being shown, I'm discovering. My world is no longer based on passing fancies, but on the lasting built slowly within me, with love.

[bluidkiti]

October 24 - Daily Feast

Though summer still lingers in the last of vegetables in the garden, cooler air pushes down from the North and with it the subtle changes that color sumac and woodbine with brilliant reds. Some song birds stay during the winter, but their songs are different. This is the season of tart red apples and wood smoke twirling through the tops of tall evergreen trees. It seems only yesterday that spring broke through with her wild colors and thunderstorms. And it will seem only another day until this season has passed and the woods will green once more. Use this tranquil time to rest and walk and to enjoy seeing nature in her bare bones.

~ The Indian, essentially an outdoor person, has no use for handkerchiefs; he was practically immune to colds, and like the animal, not addicted to spitting. ~

LUTHER STANDING BEAR - LAKOTA

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

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - October 24

"We create that bad among ourselves. We create it; then we try to call it devil, Satan, or evil. But man creates it. There is no devil. Man creates the devil."

--Wallace Black Elk, LAKOTA

Inside every human being are the laws and codes by which we should live. These laws and codes are communicated to us through a little voice. When we are still, this voice guides us. If we choose to live out of harmony, our lives become filled with anger, hate, selfishness, dishonesty, etc. When these things appear in our lives, we give up accountability and blame it on something or someone else. If we want to live in harmony, we need to pray our way back to living the principles the Creator gave us.

Grandfather, today let me walk with the principles.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

To so many, getting up in the morning is the worst way to begin a day. To them every morning is the morning after, a time to feel nervous anxiety and regret in the deepest sense, while to others morning is a new world. Yesterday ceased to be with sleep last night.

How much better off we'd be if only for a few hours we could put out of our minds every painful thought and every unpleasant person until the mind and body could find enough new life to begin again.

"The early morning hath gold in its mouth," wrote Franklin. But it has things more precious than gold. It has life as fresh and sweet as the shimmering, clinging dewdrops in the first rays of golden sunlight. It has the grace of mimosa leaves rippling in the gentlest breeze. It has the songs of the birds and the love of a new awakening.

And in this breathless creation is something more. A new opportunity, another chance, a challenge to walk on, more strong, more forgiving, more loving.

Sleep deep and rest sweet, but rise glad. Don't let one joyful second be lost in dead oblivion. This is a vision of newness awaiting even the least to arise and accept the best - a new beginning.

Morning need not be a jury trial for oneself. Dawn and sleep can be a miraculous cleansing to set us out on our feet ready to begin again and in a friendlier atmosphere. We must feel friendly toward ourselves before we can possibly find morning good to anyone else.

An unknown writer once wrote, "Every morning lean thine arms awhile upon the window sill of heaven, and gaze upon thy Lord, then, with the vision in thy heart, turn strong to meet thy day."

We need to be strong to meet the day with self control, to find out reason and purpose, but, more important, to leave behind us the heavy and darkened thoughts that kept us from seeing the breathtaking beauty of the most important time - this morning.
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October 25 - Daily Feast

At one time, most of us thought we knew it all, and later on, we wished we had kept quiet until we had learned something. Discovering the depth of one thing makes us think we have tapped a reserve of wisdom and knowledge. What we really learned was how much there is left to learn. We want to know; it is our nature. But most rebel at being taught, especially the things of the spirit. What we learn should always be carefully examined - but never with the intellect alone and always with the spirit. Life, itself, is the spirit and it should never be allowed to suffer malnutrition.

~ The roots of the tree of his life have not yet grasped the rock and soil. ~

STANDING BEAR - LAKOTA

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

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - October 25

"What does it matter how long I pray, so long as my prayers are answered?"

--Sitting Bull, HUNKPAPA LAKOTA

Too often we worry about the words we use in prayer. We focus on the words. What really counts is the spirit and intent behind our words. It is the spirit and intent that the Creator responds to. He reads and listens to our heart. Prayer isn't only when we fold our hands and pray. Prayer is when we talk to the Creator even when we are walking down a path or sitting on a hill or walking in the mountains. The Elders say, walk in prayer. We should be willing to talk with the Great One.

Great Spirit, today I will pray to You all day. Listen to my heart.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

There are very few days when we have control of our time. No matter what our schedules may be, there is always a change taking place that keeps something from happening when it is supposed to happen. And when the day is ended and our schedules have not been met, then it begins to drag on our spirits.

Soon we become so wound up in the problems of the moment that the delights of our souls drift away and become a part of the most of "someday." Someday I will get to do what I want to do. Someday when this necessary work is finished - and is it possible that the things we believe to be so necessary are really robbers of our lives? Do we spend too much time with the menial tasks and allow our creativity - the ability to bring newness into our lives - to dry up and become nonexistent?

William Blake called this within us "God." One of the greatest poets ever to live, he believed that if we keep alive our ability to see and feel the beauty of life, our menial tasks will become easy and the way successful.

Yesterday is only a dream, tomorrow only a vision, but today - we live. If we live as we should, our yesterdays will be dreams of happiness, and our tomorrow's will be visions of hope.

Nothing is so sad as the man who spends all his time today judging tomorrow by his experiences of yesterday. He has a vision, but his faith does not support him to pursue it. If some great stroke of good fortune should overtake him, he will be all ready to go, but he doesn't really expect it to happen. So today he sits waiting for the world to change for him, never guessing that he is the one who must change.

No one is so misled as the woman who has such a busy schedule that she hasn't time to listen to her children. She expects to take the time to play with them - someday. But it is today that the bridges must be built from the soul to the body to the spirit. It isn't something built from a quick kiss or a smart smack in the right place, but from daily communion and understanding.

Today is the very life of life when the best things are nearest - breath in our nostrils, light in our eyes, lowers at our feet, duties at our hand, and the path of God before us.
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October 26 - Daily Feast

Thank God for things that go right. Thank goodness that we come to this place more often than we realize. And thank God that we do not go to pieces when all things do not work together. To be grateful opens the door for more to be grateful about. Nothing is set forever in one direction so that we never have to change. But change is prerequisite to balance - a feared thing that can work miracles if we use it right. Balance is an inside job - the set of our sails, our readiness, our ability to see beyond present circumstances. We make adjustments. We let go of what we cannot change. Then balance - but we have to believe in it.

~ Our fathers were strong, and their power was felt and acknowledged far and wide. ~

O-NO'-SA

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

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - October 26

"It seems that if Elders can feel that you are open to learning, they are more than generous with their teaching."

--Chief Councilor, Lenard George

There is a saying, when the student is ready the teacher appears. If the Elders sense that you are ready, they will help you see and learn new things. Most human beings love to share what they know with people who are excited to listen. If you are talking to someone and you feel they really aren't listening, you won't want to tell them much. Before you go talk to the Elders, examine your motives - are you really excited about listening to them?

My Creator, give me an open mind.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

So you missed an opportunity! And they say that opportunity knocks only once - but, only of you believe it! Opportunity has been known to pound on the door and go unnoticed, and it has been known to whisper and be heard. It is all according to how hard we require opportunity to knock before we recognize it.

Our awareness of opportunity will reveal to us how many times it presents itself; so subtle, it may not be recognized by the casual eye. And usually it seems to be completely unprofitable to us personally. More often than not it is service to others without thought of return. It is humility, a willingness to accept the most humble beginnings. It is joy in finding communication with others and finding a kinship with them.

Have you heard of an opportunity fund? Some call it saving for a rainy day. Rainy days can be lovely, too. A rainy day can be an opportunity to get things done. But an opportunity can be any day, rain or shine.

Do you often have the opportunity to speak to your neighbor? It seems to happen too infrequently these days.

The most fun we can have comes when we've the opportunity to squelch an ugly rumor. You know, "Curst be the tongue whence slanderous rumor, withering friendship's faith...." Sometimes a little friendship does wither, but if it really amounts to anything it will survive.

What a splendid opportunity to sit quietly and mentally forgive with such depth and joy as to start life anew. There is no greater blessing, no greater opportunity fund.

American editor A.E. Dunning writes, "Great opportunities come to all, but many do not know they have met them. The only preparation to take advantage of them, is simple fidelity to what each day brings."

A missed opportunity may well be another opportunity to prepare for a bigger and better one!
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October 27 - Daily Feast

Unwittingly we have been parts of broken relationships, discrimination, poverty, disease, and overbearing personalities. These things exist, and as long as someone endures it and someone does it, it will go on. So learn why these things happen if you want to overcome them. Learn and then don't stay where they are happening, but go on to better things. This definitely can be done. Fear and helplessness are the usual reasons we stay in bad situations - but from those two things many other evils begin. Instead, say to yourself daily that you are able, you are intelligent, and you are protected. It expands your consciousness to stand up and shake off everything that has been degrading.

~ A single twig breaks, but the bundle of twigs is strong. ~

BLUE JACKET - SHAWNEE CHIEF

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

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - October 27

"The white man does not obey the Great Spirit; this is why the Indians never could agree with him."

--Flying Hawk, OGLALA LAKOTA

The Great Spirit runs the world and the people by a set of natural laws and principles. He says we are to live our lives and make decisions that will be in harmony with these laws. He says we should be respectful to all things and to all people. He says we should pray for each other. He says we should forgive one another. It is easy to tell if a person is following the ways of the Great Spirit. You can tell by how a man walks in life. He doesn't need to say anything. If we are dishonest or deceitful, other people will know. This is true because we are all interconnected in the Unseen World.

My Creator, let me obey Your ways. Let me Walk the Talk.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Haven't you heard someone say, after experiencing something either good or bad, "I knew it was going to be that way." And perhaps the conviction was very strong that certain conditions would take a definite turn. But much of the time we say it not out of conviction, but resignedly, agreeing beforehand that something will be a certain way, and usually with dire overturns.

It used to be believed that we had no power to control anything coming to us. We were mere victims of circumstances, almost like stones waiting to be kicked aside. But we were taught, "As a man thinketh in his heart, so he is."

We must not be so presumptuous as to believe we know everything there is to know about the workings of the mind. But we attract a great many of our problems simply by dwelling on them in our thoughts.

Premonition, or "knowing" things are going to be a certain way, is merely giving us a little time to head off the trouble. Such things should be a challenge, not an accepted rule. "Know" better until you believe it into conviction and into being.
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October 28 - Daily Feast

If you don't want to be judged harshly by other people - then don't continually condemn yourself. You have to tell people who you are, and you do it by action, by words, and by attitude. If you intend to compete with everyone, it will show in your manner. If you believe no one likes you, they will believe there is a reason - and not like you. If you believe social status is power, you will see the day when it breaks down. Individuality is not competition, not painful separation, but sincerity and genuine caring. These things are evident - and the person that deliberately sets out to hinder someone is headed for out-and-out loneliness.

~ We first knew you as a feeble plant which wanted a little earth whereon to grow.... ~

RED JACKET - SENECA, 1792

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

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - October 28

"Our religion seems foolish to you, but so does yours to me. The Baptists and Methodists and Presbyterians and the Catholics all have a different God. Why cannot we have one of our own?"

--Sitting Bull, HUNKPAPA LAKOTA

The Creator gave each culture a path to God. To the Indian people, he revealed that the Creator is in everything. Everything is alive with the Spirit of God. The water is alive. The trees are alive. The woods are alive. The mountains are alive. The wind is alive. The Great Spirit's breath is in everything and that's why it's alive. All of nature is our church, we eat with our families in church, we go to sleep in church.

My Creator, let us leave people to worship You in the way You have taught them.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

First things and first times....the newness of the present moment holds such a breath of youth, such a challenge, there are moments in everyone's life they wish they could relive. Just to recall those times when the newness, the memory of first things were beautiful and exciting.

But life never stands still. It moves forward or it decays. It cannot hold on to the past in any way. If the newness of first things has not grown into finer and more beautiful moments, then it cannot go on. Everyone can recall something so dear that it becomes new again just by thinking about it. Courage, love, joy, contentment, all these can call to mind the special moments that were beginnings of new eras, new times in living. The scales of life tip this way and that to make those times full of meaning and sometimes vividly painful. And then sometimes it takes a season to mend the heart and spirit. When they are ready, the experience of new times and new beginnings and first things will bloom once more and the youthful challenge again enchants.
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October 29 - Daily Feast
Something new is always an exciting prospect. It can be anything that changes the face of daily life and brings it into a new pattern that makes us feel better. Drudgery can take over our thinking and then our actions. Sticking too close to one routine and never having a change is an obvious sign we are heading for drudgery. If renewal is to come there must be change - even if it is to walk a short distance, talk to someone out of the ordinary, and do something for someone. These things sound simplistic but if they turn our thinking to more creativity or more relaxation, it is worth doing.
~ I felt that I was leaving all that I had but I did not cry. ~
OLLOKOT - NEZ PERCE
'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler
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Elder's Meditation of the Day - October 29
"Mothers must protect the lives they have helped to bring into the world."
--Haida Gwaii, Traditional Circle of Elders
Every child is subject to the seeds each adult plants in his/her mind. If we plant praise and "you can do it", the child will grow up with certain predictable behavior patterns. If we plant ideas that there's something wrong with you or you're good for nothing, the child will grow up with predictable behavior patterns. We need to honor and respect the mothers who protect the children and plant positive seeds for their growth.
Great Spirit, bless each mother and give her courage and faith.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
We have often heard it said that God never closes one door unless He opens another. It is a great comfort to know we never really lose when we believe, for any defeat can be turned to good if we will absorb the lesson in it.
And yet, how often we refuse to go through that door that has been opened for us. It is so much easier to stand back and wail about the closed one. There seems to be a certain amount of glorification in defeat. It is a subtle something that hides in us and keeps us from doing well that which we know we are capable of doing. If we show strength, we are afraid we will have to stand alone.
Sometimes a door will close for us because that particular one would have caused us more unhappiness, but it never closes for punishment. God is love and love does not punish, nor does it have any power but to give what is right and good for us. With this knowledge, we can by grace walk through those doors that open to us and know it is right.
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October 30 - Daily Feast
In retrospect, we have ignored common sense in favor of doing what we wanted to do. We wish we had not done it, but we said what we wanted to say, spoke out when it would have been better to stay quiet - we have overruled our common sense. Looking back again, when did we get off track? What little thing stung us into action? If we learn to hear the voice of wisdom we can overcome our foolishness. Wisdom never lets us down, but ignoring it will put away from us the best friend we can have.
~ I am tired of talk that comes to nothing. ~
CHIEF JOSEPH - NEZ PERCE
'A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II' by Joyce Sequichie Hifler
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Elder's Meditation of the Day - October 30
"My children, you have forgotten the customs and traditions of your forefathers. ...You have bought guns, knives, kettles, and blankets from the white man until you can no longer do without them; and what is worse you have drunk the poison firewater, which turns you into fools. Fling all these things away; live as your forefathers did before you."
--Pontiac, ODOWA
We need to think as our forefathers did. They knew the culture and the customs. The culture taught them how to live in harmony with each other. We need to think like this again. We must because God-reliant. We don't need the firewater. This liquid is very destructive to our native people. It kills our spirit. Our Indian people are happiest when we are spiritual. When we depend on anyone or anything else, we get off track. We need to talk to the Elders and find out what the old ways were. We need to ask them to teach us the culture, the tradition and the customs. This will help us become whole again.
My Maker, guide my path as you did my ancestors.
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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
Good ideas are the flower of the mind, waiting to bloom for the benefit of the thinker.
We are constantly in the process of manufacturing ideas. Every waking moment we are thinking continually, making mental images of that which we desire or need. Everything we see was first an idea in someone's mind.
Ideas are fleeting messages that pass rapidly through the mind. Some of them are strong enough to impress the thinker. Many are not worth saving, but a few are very precious. They have to be sifted, sorted and analyzed for value. Then they must be acted on immediately, for they are very perishable. Once we lose an idea, it is seldom if ever recaptured.
Everyone has access to a better and happier life through ideas, if we can trust the Lord to give us the will and courage to follow through on them.
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October 31 - Daily Feast

Few things are mind-and-spirit-adjusting like putting our hand to a job that has been waiting too long. The bigger the job, the better our concentration. Work keeps the hands busy and frees the mind from raw nerves and injured feelings. A time to talk will come - if it is needed at all. Sometimes busy hands like walking feet can do away with things thought to be unsolvable. Decide to do a thing that no one else can do - a specific move away from pain. It can set the wheel to turn - maybe slowly at first - but soon you'll be on top again.

~ If white man wants to live in peace with Indian he can live in peace. ~

CHIEF JOSEPH - NEZ PERCE

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

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Elder's Meditation of the Day - October 31

"One is not born a Tewa but rather one is made a Tewa... Once made, one has to work hard continuously throughout one's life to remain a Tewa."

--Alfonso Ortiz, SAN JUAN PUEBLO

Being Indian is being spiritual. It is not the color of our skin. Being Indian is how we think. We need to learn our culture, our language, our dances, our traditions and customs. It is one thing to know these things, but another to live them. We need to spend time with the Elders and get their guidance. We need to go to the mountains, woods and desert to pray. Being spiritual is the way for us to think right. Walking the Red Road and thinking right is the greatest gift we can give to our children.

Grandfather, help me to Walk the Talk.

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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

James Russell Lowell once wrote, "No man is born into the world whose work is not born with him." Each of us has been given a talent. It may not be some great shining thing that will attract attention and bring fame. But living has become so intricate, so great in detail, so fine in its workings, that it requires that skill of all men.

Every time we touch something, hear, see, and feel, we are using the results of other peoples talents. Too many take their own abilities for granted and see a task as just another job. But that isn't true, because no matter how small your part may seem, it takes its place in the world of living as important and necessary as the greatest talent.

The secret of a successful talent is in its use. The most minute gift was put there for a purpose and we should never belittle it but gratefully devote our attention to developing its perfection.

There are a number of self-improvement books on the market today. Among them are excellent etiquette books teaching us the correct way of doing things and how to live more graciously with our fellow man. But one can be quite learned and lose the benefit of keeping the social graces with oneself.

You owe it to yourself to quit belittling your abilities in thought or word. Self-respect is a necessity in order to keep on good terms with oneself

You owe yourself spiritual growth - the ability to enter a church reverently and to sit quietly in your own preparatory service before the formal service begins.

It is your duty to fill your mind with the better thoughts, the sweetening of the nature and a measure of tolerance “ for you will make mistakes, but there should also be the power to forgive oneself, to go on from there.

To be on good terms with oneself is to worry less about violating the rules of good behavior with all others.

[Don20]

he secret of a successful talent is in its use. The most minute gift was put there for a purpose and we should never belittle it but gratefully devote our attention to developing its perfection.

There are a number of self-i

[MajestyJo]

Welcome Don, sorry I missed your post. Hope you are still coming to the site and reading even though this reading is no longer being posting. You are right, we all have our own gifts, we need to identify not compare. Each is a blessing in it's own right and all God given.

I do the reading in the other section so seldom come in here, I see what I missed, so will have to check more often. Welcome all all who visit us daily.