Merry Christmas!

Elder’s Meditation of the Day
“When you see a new trail, or a footprint that you do not know, follow it to the point of knowing.”
–Grandmother of Charles Eastman, SANTEE SIOUX
We never gain new knowledge or new experience unless we are willing to take risks. It’s good to be curious. Also, it pays to be cautious. Walk in balance. The path of the Warrior is filled with opportunities to seek new knowledge. As we travel down the Red Road, we will run into trails of opportunity. Down each of these trails are experiences from which we will learn. Experience plus action is the beginning of knowledge.”

Great Spirit, help me to make good choices in choosing only the trails You would have me take.

A lot of times we make quick decisions then have to clean up the mess from something that we didn’t intend to happen.  I have to make decisions like that often, most times everything works as I planned it to, sometimes, I wind up cleaning up a mess later.  I don’t like cleaning up the messes, I don’t like cleaning up someone else’s mess even more.  Sometimes it’s a good thing to just sit back and wait a bit before doing something.  Even when we know that we know the outcome…. This I know.

I think I’m going to regret getting Guitar Hero I, II, III and two controllers for the kids. I can’t say I’ve heard worse music before in my life and not had the opportunity to use adult beverage bottles as earplugs.  But then again, my attempt to play anything resulted in even more dissonance.

As I sit here now, everyone asleep or on their way to sleep besides me.  One light burning beside the chair I sit in, soon to be extinguished to allow the light of a candle to light my way as I give homage to the real one who made today possible. 

God today I find it remarkable how it is in harmony with the EMoD

God’s grace is available to help us to make choices that please Him. Our capacity to love and live our lives according to His principles and word, are dependent upon the enabling grace we receive from Him. It is His grace, which fills and keeps the river of perfect love flowing through our lives. We don’t have the capacity to love and to serve without it. Our choices are made in response to His love; choosing to follow and serve Him; choosing to not only forgive our enemies, but to embrace them; choosing to help others without the prospect of personal gratification or gain. He clothes us with humility, gentleness, compassion and kindness. Even our best intentions fall short in comparison.

We humbly come before You today Grandfather, aware of our inability to serve You. Our best intentions most certainly fall short of Your perfect love. Create us to be vessels of Your love, let it flood through every area of our lives, that are choices will be made with kindness, compassion and love. We thank You for Your grace that enables us to do all things through You, who gives us the strength.

Tomorrow, Back to work….. Walk in Peace, TCWF

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  Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.

Back to Work Tonight

Elder’s Meditation of the Day
“Flexible strength is better than inflexible. Let the storm flow over you, and then pop back up.”
–Michael Kabotie, HOPI
Flexibility is taught by nature. You will see the trees bend in the wind. You will see that tree branches are flexible. To be rigid is to break. When we have life problems it is good for us to be flexible. Sometimes we need to flow with what is going on. If we resist, it becomes more painful. We need to be on the path of least resistance. Water flows down the mountain through the path of least resistance. Electricity flows through the path of least resistance. Power flows through the path of least resistance. As Indian people our strength has always been our flexibility.

Creator, I will be flexible today because I know You are with me.

 

My how this was taught to me recently through the ice storm, the trees that were able to bend with the ice still stand strong, others infexible broke under the weight of the ice.  A lot of times I have to bend under the weight of the pressure exerted form outside, or I will, strain a muscle like I did over a week ago.  Sometimes it’s easy for me to bend, other times not so easy.  I don’t want to, I want to fight back, to escalate the conflict.  I’m seen by some as weak sometimes because I don’t choose to fight, but rather to willingly walk peacefully.  A choice I make.

 

I haven’t written to much about Christmas this year, I think we’ve gotten everythig we are gonna get for the kids, maybe one or two small things left but no big deal, next week I’ll give them some $$$ to buy their mom a present, I’m going to get her a external hard drive sh she can backup all her PSP and other graphics and pictures, so they don’t get lost if her computer crashes.  They’re pretty reasonable for a fairly huge hard drive.  I remember my first computer had barely enough space to run Windows 3.1, 25 mhz of ram and way less than 1 gb for a hard drive.  Now I have a laptop with Vista, 2gb of ram, and 80 gb of hard drive, which will never come close to being full

 

I’m going back to work tonight, am going to take it very easy and not do anything stupid this week to casue anything to re-injure myself.  Just take it nice and easy. Besides I’m going crazy here…. haven’t been off work, home this much in years, it’s driving me crazy… LOL

Walk in Peace, TCWF

Ice Storm and Focus

Elder’s Meditation of the Day
“People are equal partners with the plants and animals, not their masters who exploit them.”
–Haida Gwaii, Traditional Circle of Elders
As human beings, we are not above anything nor are we below anything. Because of being equal, we need to discuss a little about the value of respect. Not just respect when it comes to human beings, but respect when it comes to everything. We are not masters over things; we are caretakers for the Great Spirit. We need to treat all things with respect.

Great Spirit, let me accept and see all things as equal.

Today, LV and I went to do some more shopping for the kids.  As we rode along, we saw a lot of trees that had recieved damage from the storm Saturday night into Sunday, it was a serious ice storm and there are lots of people still without electric service, it was easy to pick out the damaged trees as we drove along and that was our focus.  After a while, I thought how strange that we see the damage in the trees yet look over the undamaged ones.  How often do we as people see the broken and bad areas of others and overlook the good in them.

Hey, today is day number 2 of not taking the medication for the pain in m y back, I still take the muscle relaxer so I don’t inadverantly restrain the muscle, but I’m happy with this.  Back to work on Wedensday for sure.

Walk in Peace, TCWF

Pain, Snow and Understanding

Elder’s Meditation of the Day
“Peace… comes within the souls of men when they realize their relationship, their oneness, with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize that at the center of the Universe dwells Wakan-Tanka, and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us.”
–Black Elk (Hehaka Sapa) OGLALA SIOUX
If we are to know peace we must look within ourselves. In order to do this, we must learn to be still. We must quiet the mind. We must learn to meditate. Meditation helps us locate and find the center that is within ourselves. The center is where the Great One resides. When we start to look for peace, we need to realize where it is within ourselves. When we experience conflict we need to pause for a moment and ask the Power within ourselves, “How do you want me to handle this? What would you suggest I do in this situation?” By asking the High Power for help we find peace.

Creator, help me to find peace.

 

Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers.  I’m slowly getting better, Friday was a week since I pulled the muscle in my back, going to work Monday wasn’t one of my brightest moves but I did anyways, decided to call off so I’ve been home trying to allow it to heal.  It’s tough wanting to do things and basically lying in bed most of the day.  Even sitting up more than a hour at a time has been rough. 

There is a local radio station playing christmas music now and I have to admit I love Burle Ives christmas music, especialy Holly Jolly Christmas, heard some moron on xm radio saying that was the worst song ever for christmas…. bah, obviously he needs to stick with politics cause he’s a moron when it comes to christmas music.

It’s suppose to snow here starting tonight, up to about 4″ I guess, switch to freezing rain, then just rain, then back the other way as tomorrow ends… I’m sure that means a total mess for Monday morning here… Oh Well, the kids can shovel all the mess

 

You shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess. Deuteronomy 5:33

It is difficult to totally surrender our lives to God. We want to be in control. Yet when we do surrender we discover liberation and freedom; along with the wonderful peace and joy that words cannot explain. We want to be creator of our own destiny, but the truth is, we are more likely to become slaves to it. God has a perfect plan for our lives. We can’t surrender to God, a portion and expect to reap the full crop. We all have goals for our lives; and dreams we desire to see come true. God understands those desires and has placed them within us. The only way we will see them completed is by following where He leads and walking the path He has laid out.

Grandfather, You know our dreams and our aspirations, You have placed them in us. You have a master plan for our lives. Today we totally surrender to You and ask that You bring them to completion in our lives.  adapted from Godtoday.com

Hope everyne is having a great weekend, Walk in Peace, TCWF

Another boring day in Paradise

Elder’s Meditation of the Day
“Sometimes dreams are wiser then waking.”
–Black Elk (Hehaka Sapa), OGLALA
The Great Spirit has many ways of communicating with the human being. He talks to us through the five senses-sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch. For example, we can observe nature and see a lesson or get an answer. These five senses function primarily in the physical world. But we also have the ability to receive communication from the Unseen World. To do this we have a sixth sense. It comes in the form of dreams, imagination, intuition, inspiration or a hunch. Along with the dream or intuitive thought there is a feeling, a knowing. We just know it’s true without the need for proof. We need to pay attention to our dreams and intuition. Don’t cast them off as being silly or useless. Be respectful to our dreams and feelings.

Creator, if you speak to me through dreams, let me know it in terms I can understand.

 

Got home with the candy today for the kids, guess it’s about 5 pounds worth, something called Mater Juice, Burning Rubber, and some Extreme Strawberry roll thing, and something Extreme called a belt?  I dunno, not suppose to eat the stuff anyways, tried a belt thing, very sour, then sweet… yuk  Not as good as the left over Veggie Pizza I had for dinner… LOL

Very cold and windy here, not very good for taking a walk around the lake, suppose to snow tonight into tomorrow. 

We went out and bought some gifts when I got home, found a great deal on what two of the kidlets wanted at Best Buy, found three things and actually saved about $75.00 compared to most places. 

 

What language does God speak? from A Word to the Wise

“Our religion is the traditions of our ancestors — the dreams of our old men, given them in the solemn hours of night by the Great Spirit; and the visions of our sachems, and is written in the hearts of our people.”
~ Chief Seattle, Dwamish tribe, Washington, 1855

We know from the teachings of the ancients, as well as our own personal experience, that the mental world speaks to us in picture form – in visions and in dreams.  Therefore, if we would communicate with Them, we must also develop this new form of communication.  In order to effectively communicate we must also approach the Great Mystery in reverence and gratitude, showing our respect and returning Their love by reflecting upon the blessings we’ve been given.  If you had a child who was not appreciative with what he was given, would you want to give him more, or would you likewise develop an indifferent attitude?  If another child thanked you over and over for the things you gave him, would you be more enthusiastic about giving more to him?

How often do you speak to the God/dess?  How would you establish a good relationship?  Is visiting often, calling upon Source energy regularly, a good way to develop the connection?  How do you tell Them what you want?  Do you think ritualistic movements say it all for you?  Do you dream about the joy you feel as you count your blessings?  Do you demand that you get what you want, or do you approach the Great Mystery in reverence and awe? 

 

Walk In Peace, TCWF