April 30 - Daily Feast

April 30 - Daily Feast Those of us who have seen a grass fire know that when one flame is smothered, another can break out in a different place. It takes trained minds to perceive where the next will happen - not so different from our daily lives. Sometimes it is hard to do anything new because of the emergency work. This is all a part of the business of living. We never quite reach perfection - not all at once. Even if we do, we are off to something else that needs more help, more work. If it were not for the moving and stretching of time, perfection might become a dead nothing. The Cherokee would tell you not to build your campfire near loose tinder. What earthly purpose is there in starting a fire with a match or a tongue, in places and in ways where we have no business? ~ No one ever saw an Indian destroy something the Great Creator gave to man for his needs. ~ RED FOX 'A Cherokee Feast of Days', by Joyce Sequichie Hifler *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* Elder's Meditation of the Day April 30 "Modern civilization has no understanding of sacred matters. Everything is backwards." --Thomas Yellowtail, CROW Modern civilization says, don't pray in school; don't pray at work; only go to church on Sunday. If you don't believe what I believe, you'll go to hell. Deviancy is normal. Our role models cheat, drink and run around; these are the people in the news. The news sells bad news; no one wants to hear good news. Kids are killing kids. Victims have little protection. Violence is normal. Leaders cheat and lie. Everything is backwards. We need to pray for spiritual intervention. We need to have guidance from the Creator to help us rebuild our families, our communities and ourselves. Today, I will pray for spiritual intervention from the Great Spirit. Grandfather, we pray for your help in a pitiful way. *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* 'THINK on THESE THINGS' By Joyce Sequichie Hifler Did you know that when we poke fun at someone else we're covering up our own embarrassment? We all have shortcomings, peculiarities about ourselves that we take no pride in nor want others to know about. So, frequently we call attention to the "different" traits of others. Sometimes we believe they are not aware of their own problems, but they are. They are superconscious of them, and because of it they must escape through finding something about someone else they believe is worse than their own. Truly wise persons are those who take their own unique qualities and build around them. Some of the most fascinating people are those who surround their unusual features with such exquisite mannerisms and beautifully developed personalities so handsomely as to make others ordinary. It has been written by Augustine, "This is the very perfection of man, to find out his own imperfection." *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* Available online! 'Cherokee Feast of Days' By Joyce Sequichie Hifler. Visit her web site to purchase the wonderful books by Joyce as gifts for yourself or for loved ones......and also for those who don't have access to the Internet: http://www.hifler.com Click Here to Buy her books at Amazon.com Elder's Meditation of the Day By White Bison, Inc., an American Indian-owned nonprofit organization. Order their many products from their web site: http://www.whitebison.org *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* If you would like to be added to The Daily Feast email list, CLICK HERE!

April 29 - Daily Feast

April 29 - Daily Feast Life stirs up our priorities - makes us think beyond our usual knowledge. There are enormously important things basic to all of us such as the family. The family as a whole is important, and so is each individual. Family makes us consider health and spirit and the capacity to take care of ourselves. The invisible circle gathers all we love close to us. But the final arc involves the making of who we are personally. Each person must know contentment, must be in awe, reverent toward the spiritual, recognize truth, and not go strictly by the depths and height of feelings. Searching for happiness leads us far afield when the search is for self, for a divine connection, a knowing that we are indeed divinely centered. We are a part of the earth, part heaven, one with every living thing. For this reason we love. The ga lv quo di, the precious, the dear truth is that we love. ~ It is the command of the Great Spirit, and all nations and people must obey. ~ BIG ELK 'A Cherokee Feast of Days', by Joyce Sequichie Hifler *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* Elder's Meditation of the Day April 29 "The old people came literally to love the soil and they sat or reclined on the ground with a feeling of being close to a mothering power...The soil was soothing, strengthening, cleansing and healing..." --Luther Standing Bear, OGLALA SIOUX Have you ever noticed the relationship between children and the soil? Watch how happily they are touching the dirt. The children play in it and eat it. If you are stressed, go to a spot on the Earth, sit down, put your fingers in the dirt, dig in it. Wash your hands in the soil. When you touch it, notice what it does to your hands. Our bodies love to touch the Earth. Sometimes we get too busy and forget these simple things. Maybe you'll even want to plant a garden or flowers. These things are mentally healthy. Great Spirit, today, let me touch the Earth so the Earth can touch me. *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* 'THINK on THESE THINGS' By Joyce Sequichie Hifler Leisure - what is it? It is that beautiful something that escapes us most of the time. Leisure, like most everything else, can be found if we truly want it. We seem to have the ability to do most of what we set our minds to do, and the less important things can be set aside for this particular thing. We get pretty stale when we never take time to relax. A few hours of getting away from even a beloved madhouse will make a new human being out of a bundle of nerves. Pursuit of leisure is to lose it. We can't suddenly say that the next five minutes will be for complete relaxation. It takes that long to begin to unwind. Gaiety and rhythm and frivolity are shunned by most minds. But if there are none of these, even in the smallest amounts, then leisure is more of a restless shuffling - like a night out with no place to go. We need to exercise our minds a little to achieve any goal, and leisure is definitely a goal! *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* Available online! 'Cherokee Feast of Days' By Joyce Sequichie Hifler. Visit her web site to purchase the wonderful books by Joyce as gifts for yourself or for loved ones......and also for those who don't have access to the Internet: http://www.hifler.com Click Here to Buy her books at Amazon.com Elder's Meditation of the Day By White Bison, Inc., an American Indian-owned nonprofit organization. Order their many products from their web site: http://www.whitebison.org *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* If you would like to be added to The Daily Feast email list, CLICK HERE!

April 28 - Daily Feast

April 28 - Daily Feast How frightening to be out of touch - but how normal! There are times and places we go through that are strange - both in feeling and understanding. We experience an uneasy feeling and want to rush back to the familiar - even though it isn't the place to be either. In growing, we go through strange places and think unusual thoughts. Fear of the unknown has made us wary, questioning, reaching for something to steady us, to give us direction and purpose. But we must expand our spirits, enlarge our thought to accept or reject what we have yet to learn. The American Indian has known the strangeness of new lands, new customs, has fought and lost - only to fight and win. Some are caught in between, but their staying power is in the Great Spirit who ever holds our hand and intercedes on our behalf. ~ I would that I could make the red people as great as the conceptions of my own mind, when I think of the Great Spirit that rules over us all. ~ TECUMSEH 'A Cherokee Feast of Days', by Joyce Sequichie Hifler *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* Elder's Meditation of the Day April 28 "Indians living close to nature and nature's ruler are not living in darkness." --Walking Buffalo, STONEY There are many Indian people who are living according to nature and according to ceremony and culture. They may not have a lot of material things, but that doesn't mean they are not successful. What is success anyway? Can success be measured by material things? What is it we are really chasing anyway? The Elders say that what everyone really wants is to be happy and have a peaceful mind. Material things by themselves do not bring happiness and peace of mind. Only spiritual things bring happiness. When we live a spiritual life we will not have darkness. Instead, we will be happy. Great Spirit, today, let me walk the Red Road. *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* 'THINK on THESE THINGS' By Joyce Sequichie Hifler A lady of much wisdom has often remarked, "If you want to feel well all the time and feel alive, you have to keep the rhythm in your body." Rhythm, the gentle, easy flow of life. Ordinarily we think of keeping time with music when we think of rhythm. The very idea of allowing one's self the frivolity of feeling rhythm - and such a wonderful idea! There is an underlying rhythm to all of living. Wherever there is life, there is that pulsating rhythm that has everything on the move. There is harmony and there is a subtle smoothness to finding one's own pace. When we get out of step and resist that pace, we have "one of those days" when everything goes wrong. William Shakespeare wrote, "The man that hath no music in himself, nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds, is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils; the motions of his spirit are dull as night, and his affections dark as Erebus. Let no such man be trusted." *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* Available online! 'Cherokee Feast of Days' By Joyce Sequichie Hifler. Visit her web site to purchase the wonderful books by Joyce as gifts for yourself or for loved ones......and also for those who don't have access to the Internet: http://www.hifler.com Click Here to Buy her books at Amazon.com Elder's Meditation of the Day By White Bison, Inc., an American Indian-owned nonprofit organization. Order their many products from their web site: http://www.whitebison.org *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* If you would like to be added to The Daily Feast email list, CLICK HERE!

April 27 - Daily Feast

April 27 - Daily Feast Forgiveness seems to be continually with us - the need to forgive, to be forgiven, is directly tied to loving and being loved - or lovable. We sometimes love better at a distance. Time and space have a way of putting things into perspective so that we can see the right and the wrong to be able to forgive or ask forgiveness. We never gain ground as long as we are obstinate about forgiving. A grudge is a stone wall that forbids us to move in any direction. The Cherokees have labored long to understand the reason for the Trail of Tears - the same way other tribes have tried to understand. Life has a way of working itself out to certain ends, a time for everything, and what has been lost will be regained many times over. When? There is an exact moment. Yoweh knows. ~ When we are at peace we hunt freely, our wives and children do not stand in want....We sleep easy. ~ CHEROKEE 'A Cherokee Feast of Days', by Joyce Sequichie Hifler *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* Elder's Meditation of the Day April 27 "The law is that all life is equal in the Great Creation, and we, the Human Beings, are charged with the responsibility, each in our generation, to work for the continuation of life." --Traditional Circle of Elders Every generation is accountable to leave the environment in healthy order for the next generation. Every generation is accountable to teach the next generation how to live in harmony and to understand the Laws. We need to ask ourselves, "What are we teaching the next generation?" Each individual is directly accountable. My Creator, teach me intergenerational responsibility. *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* 'THINK on THESE THINGS' By Joyce Sequichie Hifler America's art critic Henry Theodore Tuckerman believed the hand to be the mind's own perfect subject. As physical labor shows in a man's hands, so does illness, or greediness, or strength. No other part of the body so expresses human behavior. With our hands we work, play, communicate, love, and express our fear, joy, and grief. These beautifully sensitive symbols of faith, love, and friendship are the hands of time that never stand still. They clasp to us the things we love, the books we read, the seeds we plant, the stitches we sew, and the civilization we build. This marvelously made human hand, directed by the mind's eye, the mind's ear, and the heart's desires, works every waking moment to express its owner's life. The gentle touch, so closely linked with our emotions, can also be the unmistakable expression of strength and honesty. And the most beautiful of all, the praying hands, for surely they are conscious only of God. *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* Available online! 'Cherokee Feast of Days' By Joyce Sequichie Hifler. Visit her web site to purchase the wonderful books by Joyce as gifts for yourself or for loved ones......and also for those who don't have access to the Internet: http://www.hifler.com Click Here to Buy her books at Amazon.com Elder's Meditation of the Day By White Bison, Inc., an American Indian-owned nonprofit organization. Order their many products from their web site: http://www.whitebison.org *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* If you would like to be added to The Daily Feast email list, CLICK HERE!

April 26 - Daily Feast

April 26 - Daily Feast Negative thinking is a habit that can be changed - if we really want to change it. It is too often like pressing on a sore spot just one more time to see if it still hurts. Most people's problems are found in areas of need - the need to have difficulty, the need to have something to deal with so they can feel needed and important. After all, what do we do when no one is depending on us? It is an innate Cherokee belief that we have no need to borrow trouble, a to li s di, no proclivity toward trouble. Let it stay where it is - or dissolve. If difficulty engages our eye, it may come to us. We can know happy things to fill our time. It is fatal not to want happiness and well-being enough that we invite it into daily living. ~ Though we are powerful and strong, and we know how to fight, we do not wish to fight. ~ THE CHEROKEES 'A Cherokee Feast of Days', by Joyce Sequichie Hifler *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* Elder's Meditation of the Day April 26 "If those bad words come, I let them come in one ear and go out the other. I never let them come out of my mouth. If a bad word comes in your ear and then comes out of your mouth, it will go someplace and hurt somebody. If I did that, that hurt would come back twice as hard on me." --Wallace Black Elk, LAKOTA What do we do with temptations when they come? What do we do when we hear gossip? What do we do when we hear bad things? If we hear these things and pass them on we will not only hurt the other person, but we will do harm to ourselves. We must be careful not to hurt others. Whatever we sow we will simultaneously reap for ourselves. We must be accountable for our own actions. Great Spirit, today, let no words come from my lips that would hurt another. *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* 'THINK on THESE THINGS' By Joyce Sequichie Hifler All the world listens for the voice that speaks with its heart. How important is the tone of voice, no matter what position we hold in life. The voice of authority, the demanding, commanding and authoritative voice has little lasting effect upon its audience. But the voice of kindness, the cheerful and friendly voice creates receptivity that few can resist. In the words of Longfellow, "How wonderful is the human voice! It is indeed the organ of the soul. The intellect of man sits enthroned, visibly on his forehead and in his eye, and the heart of man is written on his countenance, but the soul reveals itself in the voice only." The voice on the telephone creates a picture for the listener. With the business of the world being run to a very great extent by telephone, it is of the utmost importance what sort of picture that should be. No matter how sharp, strong, hard, flat, weak, or soft, that voice creates an impression. If only we could have our voices played back, we would hear ourselves in one of those categories. Even animals and children respond to voices as they truly are. All the actions in the world speak loudly, but the voice of love, the voice of friendship, and the voice of encouragement are the sweetest of all sounds. The truly sincere quality in the voice is from the nature within, springing from concern for those about us, the divine love, the deep feeling for all of life. *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* Available online! 'Cherokee Feast of Days' By Joyce Sequichie Hifler. Visit her web site to purchase the wonderful books by Joyce as gifts for yourself or for loved ones......and also for those who don't have access to the Internet: http://www.hifler.com Click Here to Buy her books at Amazon.com Elder's Meditation of the Day By White Bison, Inc., an American Indian-owned nonprofit organization. Order their many products from their web site: http://www.whitebison.org *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* If you would like to be added to The Daily Feast email list, CLICK HERE!

April 25 - Daily Feast

April 25 - Daily Feast Someday, we will know how to take living in stride, to sidestep a great many things and completely ignore that many more. Sometime, we will learn to pay less attention to the imagined and stop fussing about things we had nothing to do with in the past - and cannot change significantly in the future. One day, like the elderly Cherokee, we can say, "So long a time since I see you....I don't care anymore." Soon, we will rid ourselves of things we saved for no good reason - and have room for what we really want. As soon as possible, we will worry less about trouble...knowing some people need it for their security. Very soon, we will sit together in the sun a whole day and just be happy that we can sit together in the sun all day and just be happy. ~ Even as you desire good treatment, so render it. ~ HANDSOME LAKE 'A Cherokee Feast of Days', by Joyce Sequichie Hifler *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* Elder's Meditation of the Day April 25 "In some mysterious and wonderful way you are part of everything, Nephew. And in that same mysterious and wonderful way, everything is a part of you." --Nippawanock, ARAPAHOE In order to experience this, we must be aware of how limited our senses are, eyes, ears, touch, smell, taste. These senses help us to function in the Seen World. What we see is interpreted by our minds and put inside our belief system, and this can become our reality. But there also exists an Unseen World. In this world we experience connectedness; we experience the mystery; and we experience another whole point of view. If we pay attention to both the Unseen World and the Seen World, our belief systems will print in our mind a new and wonderful reality. We will see and know we are a part of everything. Great Spirit, today, give me the knowledge to know this mystery. *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* 'THINK on THESE THINGS' By Joyce Sequichie Hifler If we could be read it, all human beings carry the marks of their character in the lines of their faces. The very expressions are etched there by habitual thought. The most beautiful features may be blank of expression, lacking depth of thought or understanding, while the plainest face may be lighted with a radiance only sincerity and inner beauty can produce. Alexander Smith was a Scottish poet who wrote, "On your features the fine chisels of thought and emotion are eternally at work." No pretense can hide the thoughts and feelings. The narrowed eyes of suspicion and discontent tattle, while serenity and devotion to others can reveal such beauty of spirit that the shape of the face is forgotten. "In thy face I see the map of honor, truth, and loyalty," wrote Shakespeare, and it is safe to say that being able to see those things in another's face is an assurance that he also had such a face. To see only avarice and selfishness in every expression turned to us is to know that our own expressions lack something to be desired. Life does not have to be full of ease to reflect beauty. Some of the most beautiful faces in history have not had eyes to see nor voices to move their lips, but have possessed peace and serenity that only faith could render. *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* Available online! 'Cherokee Feast of Days' By Joyce Sequichie Hifler. Visit her web site to purchase the wonderful books by Joyce as gifts for yourself or for loved ones......and also for those who don't have access to the Internet: http://www.hifler.com Click Here to Buy her books at Amazon.com Elder's Meditation of the Day By White Bison, Inc., an American Indian-owned nonprofit organization. Order their many products from their web site: http://www.whitebison.org *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* If you would like to be added to The Daily Feast email list, CLICK HERE!

April 24 - Daily Feast

April 24 - Daily Feast The wild pink verbena that grew so profusely along the slopes have moved to another area. In their place are yellow flowers, unfamiliar but like sunshine after a shower. A familiar saying is that the more something changes the more it stays the same. Flowers, like people and circumstances, change so swiftly and unexpectedly that it seems like the very foundation of the familiar is moving and changing before us. The Cherokees call this a ma yi, creek water. It is always moving and changing before our eyes. Nature reminds us to renew our minds - to update and enlarge our vision instead of accepting the daily changes of the world that come to nothing. No one has ever been so perfect that he cannot surpass himself and bloom more brilliantly in another area. ~ When we lift our hands we signify our dependence on the Great Spirit. ~ BLACKFOOT 'A Cherokee Feast of Days', by Joyce Sequichie Hifler *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* Elder's Meditation of the Day April 24 "Each person's prayers can help everyone." --Thomas Yellowtail, CROW Prayer is our entrance into the Unseen World. It is by prayer we can call upon the powers and laws of the Great Spirit. The Spirit World has powers and laws that are different from the Physical World. The spiritual laws allow healing to take place; they allow forgiveness to occur; they cause miracles to happen; they cause hate to disappear; they heal broken relationships; they guide every moment of our lives; they allow us to love even when it's hard. Prayer allows us access to the Spirit World. Creator, teach me to pray. *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* 'THINK on THESE THINGS' By Joyce Sequichie Hifler There seems to be two important things to do in times of difficulty. One is to pray and the other to keep our sense of humor. The first is essential to make the basic correction and the other is necessary to balance the human spirit while things work out. Without a sense of humor, we tend to become too serious about the personal self. It becomes all too important, too self-righteous, and far too self-centered. At the first sign of trouble, we may want to find someone wiser in whom to confide and ask questions. And their advice may be most helpful, but it is still our own responsibility to get off our backs and do it with dignity and self-respect that will not lower our standards nor cause us embarrassment. And humor can help us do it. There is humor in every situation if we can detach ourselves from the seriousness of it long enough to look for it. Abraham Lincoln knew the importance of his sense of humor and said, "With the fearful strain that is on me night and day, if I did not laugh I should die." *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* Available online! 'Cherokee Feast of Days' By Joyce Sequichie Hifler. Visit her web site to purchase the wonderful books by Joyce as gifts for yourself or for loved ones......and also for those who don't have access to the Internet: http://www.hifler.com Click Here to Buy her books at Amazon.com Elder's Meditation of the Day By White Bison, Inc., an American Indian-owned nonprofit organization. Order their many products from their web site: http://www.whitebison.org *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* If you would like to be added to The Daily Feast email list, CLICK HERE!

April 23 - Daily Feast

April 23 - Daily Feast Some of the best successes have been those that came on the spur of the moment - something we caught hold of and lightly carried through with the air of having done it a thousand times. How does it happen, when we so often hear that all-too-familiar thud? It is the consensus of the Cherokee that the heart, the u na wi, the spirit of anything should not be heavy when we are dealing with the substance of the Great Spirit. The underlying di ka no di, or material to work with, must be handled and carried with hands that a da la du di, worship the Source of light and not the darkness. When we are too serious about our own importance we labor under heaviness, and the way is so slow we begin to doubt. Never doubt Yoweh, and the Great Spirit will carry through. ~ You said you would enlarge the fire....add more fuel to make it brighter.... ~ CANASSATEGO 1742 'A Cherokee Feast of Days', by Joyce Sequichie Hifler *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* Elder's Meditation of the Day April 23 "The real meaning of life is your family, the love that you have, the respect, the traditional ways, carrying on with them." --Ethel Wilson, COWICHAN The family is the seed of the future. The family is the key to the transfer of cultural information. We should really take a look at how we are looking at our families. Are we treating each family member with respect? Are we passing on the traditional ways? Are we teaching the old songs? Are we participating in the ceremonies? Are we showing the family members how to pray? Are we encouraging each family member to be spiritual? Think about these things today. My Creator, today, let me show respect to each family member. *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* 'THINK on THESE THINGS' By Joyce Sequichie Hifler Variety is said to be the spice of life. Anything in which we can continually find something new, a difference, will hold our attention indefinitely. Even the most interesting work can become monotonous if there never is a change. We are a restless people, finding life more livable and exciting when we know there is a bit of a change in store. One isn't always aware of monotony. It is a subtle something that creeps silently into a well formed routine. And most are unaware of its presence until its victim, interest, begins to lose ground. Sometimes a change of pace fulfills a need for variety, but the most satisfying is one's ability to lay aside a regular routine to lend a hand to a neighbor when he needs it. The very old and happy habit of helping your neighbor never found a body bored. The hearts of helpers are light, not because they are searching for variety, but because variety finds them when self is forgotten and the need to help a neighbor is the only thought. *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* Available online! 'Cherokee Feast of Days' By Joyce Sequichie Hifler. Visit her web site to purchase the wonderful books by Joyce as gifts for yourself or for loved ones......and also for those who don't have access to the Internet: http://www.hifler.com Click Here to Buy her books at Amazon.com Elder's Meditation of the Day By White Bison, Inc., an American Indian-owned nonprofit organization. Order their many products from their web site: http://www.whitebison.org *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* If you would like to be added to The Daily Feast email list, CLICK HERE!

April 22 - Daily Feast

April 22 - Daily Feast In the seventeen hundreds, the Natchez mother of a young chief suspected he had become involved in a conspiracy and was being used by his elders to do wrong. She said, "Open your ears and listen to me. I have always taught you not to lie." Liars are lost in a world of their own making. We have seen it glamorized in a world of make believe until the real world has difficulty telling the truth, even when there is no need to lie. Even the little white lies thought as harmless are barriers, wrongs, that stand in the way of honor. A lie, in whatever form, is deceit, and deceit is a major block to answered prayer, to friendship, to stable lives. The biggest lie of all is that lying is in any way harmless. Truth sees through the thin veil of a lie and all credibility is wiped out. But Truth stands forever. ~ I have always taught you that a liar is not worthy of being considered a man.... ~ STUNG ARM 'A Cherokee Feast of Days', by Joyce Sequichie Hifler *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* Elder's Meditation of the Day April 22 "Each creature has a medicine, so there are many medicines. Because they are so close to the Creator, they are to communicate that medicine. Then they bring help and health." --Wallace Black Elk, LAKOTA The Elders say everything has a purpose and everything has a will. We should never interfere with purpose or the will of everything. Every plant, creature, animal, insect, human being has a purpose to be here on the Earth. Each has a special medicine to contribute for the good of all things. Each person also has good medicine, a special talent, a special gift. These medicines are to help others or to help make us healthy. What is your special medicine? Creator, today, help me discover and use my medicine to serve a greater good. *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* 'THINK on THESE THINGS' By Joyce Sequichie Hifler To be in harmony with others, we must be in tune with ourselves. This is not always a state of mind easily come by, but necessary and possible to those who truly want to put their best foot forward. They must cultivate and recultivate the things that make peace within themselves. They must not only have faith, but they must depend upon it, drawing from it energizing joy, love, and lightness of heart. They must know and understand the moods and manners of their coworkers and express to their colleagues their happiness and enthusiasm for the good things of life. At times everyone has fits of uncertainty concerning their way of life. And it is gratifying to have someone capable of lifting us out of the blues and scattering the doldrums. But the job is mainly ours. We have to cross examine ourselves again and again to be sure there's nothing that will not contribute to our best self, or draw less than the best from others. To be cooperative is not only beneficial to associations with others, but to our own health, peace, and happiness. Let there be peace and harmony and let it begin with me. *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* Available online! 'Cherokee Feast of Days' By Joyce Sequichie Hifler. Visit her web site to purchase the wonderful books by Joyce as gifts for yourself or for loved ones......and also for those who don't have access to the Internet: http://www.hifler.com Click Here to Buy her books at Amazon.com Elder's Meditation of the Day By White Bison, Inc., an American Indian-owned nonprofit organization. Order their many products from their web site: http://www.whitebison.org *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* If you would like to be added to The Daily Feast email list, CLICK HERE!

April 21 - Daily Feast

April 21 - Daily Feast Peace is like a river....Feel it, think it, see it. Peace that flows not in wild frothy turbulence but in smooth currents that will not toss the smallest boat. Think of peace that so permeates our entire being, a peace that is closer than our hands and feet, closer even than our breathing. To hi ge se s di came with great difficulty to the Cherokee. Peace on earth seems distant to almost anyone in any age, but it is still sought, and the lack of it still effects each of us personally. Stress raises our blood pressure, makes our hearts race and our ears roar with panic. We can stop right here and now and put it all down. Speak the words of old that stopped a storm, "Peace be still." It worked centuries ago and its power is still intact. Say it many times a day to stop the negative flow that intends to sweep us away. ~ I am Dekanawidah, and with the Five Nations confederate lords I plant the Tree of the Great Peace. ~ IRIQUOIS LEGEND 'A Cherokee Feast of Days', by Joyce Sequichie Hifler *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* Elder's Meditation of the Day April 21 "Conciliation is the key to survival. Peace is the goal." --Haida Gwaii, Traditional Circle of Elders When we make decisions or experience conflict we need to look at the greater whole. The end result we want to accomplish is peace of mind. If we keep this goal in mind, we will, overall, live a happy and fulfilling life. Everything in the world is constantly changing so we should not resist this change. A good question to ask ourselves is, "Would I rather be right or happy?" If we would rather be happy, then it is easier to let the little things go. If we would rather be right, we tend to look for the WIN/LOSE. Great Spirit, today, give me the tools to seek peace of mind. *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* 'THINK on THESE THINGS' By Joyce Sequichie Hifler If you've ever been along in a strange place, you're bound to know how wonderful it is to have someone make you feel welcome. Many people have the knack for being at home in whatever place they find themselves. And in this gift they find no loneliness to tug at them, but more often than not most of us feel like strangers. And in doing so we set ourselves apart, or make it sometimes questionable as to the wisdom of asking us into a friendly circle. A friendly face and a friendly voice can make the most timid souls feel welcome. It can make them feel at home. For in the midst of many there is loneliness. Perhaps it is because our feigned look of self-sufficiency made someone question our need for help. Many a door has opened, and many a sound friendship won when someone said, "We're glad to have you..." The very atmosphere can be charged with concern when we see others who cannot find their way. The warmth of divine love is for daily use in making someone feel welcome. We should not forget nor fail to see the wisdom of Hebrews 13:2: "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unaware." There must be no stronger feeling in the hearts of most people than the desire to belong. To belong to something, to someone, and in a place where the feeling is warm and friendly. The most blessed children in town are the ones born and raised in the same neighborhood, who have the tightly knit sense of belonging to everyone. Suddenly these children are not just the children of their parents, but the children of everyone in the church, in school, and anywhere where there is warmth and love and peace. War rages within so many, disallowing then any connection or any strand of love that would tie them to anything that gives them a sense of security. And when people become insecure they become demanding. And in demanding they lose the most essential part - the ability to attract love to themselves simply by loving first. In the words of William Blake: "Love seeketh not itself to please....Not for itself hath any care....But for another gives its ease....And builds a Heaven in Hell's despair." Some of my most productive moments are not when I consider how evil the world is, but how powerful is my God. Some of the best times are not all when I'm enjoying life, but when those I love are knowing happiness. The highest peak of wealth comes when the joy within surpasses anything I can create out here. The bloom of good health is felt more richly when I let it flow through me rather than swelling on the possibility of sickness. Friendships are strongest and most true when I don't worry about giving more than I receive. In order that others forgive me, I must also learn to forgive. I must never forget that negative thoughts feed on fear and starve on faith. One of the greatest mistakes I can make is to believe myself to be without friend or faith or opportunity. These personal proverbs belong to all thinking persons who want their lives to have more meaning, know more happiness and feel more richly the love that is the medicine for the sickness of the world. *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* Available online! 'Cherokee Feast of Days' By Joyce Sequichie Hifler. Visit her web site to purchase the wonderful books by Joyce as gifts for yourself or for loved ones......and also for those who don't have access to the Internet: http://www.hifler.com Click Here to Buy her books at Amazon.com Elder's Meditation of the Day By White Bison, Inc., an American Indian-owned nonprofit organization. Order their many products from their web site: http://www.whitebison.org *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* If you would like to be added to The Daily Feast email list, CLICK HERE!

April 20 - Daily Feast

April 20 - Daily Feast An idea is a rare butterfly that leads us through visual and spiritual experiences, and brings us out of the woods changed and ready to do something we never dreamed possible. Most people catch hold of ideas and immediately say they take too much time and money to be worth the effort. A quick excuse has cut more people out of doing a profitable and rewarding deed than all their other work put together. Fear of failure chips away at self-confidence until there is no heart to step into new territory. One needs the mind of a child to forget what happened an hour ago. If we cannot forget, we put it aside until we get to a place where we can understand. Otherwise, our creativity knows no bounds. We are caught up in a world of imagination - the thing that blesses all great inventors - playing what-if and finding great treasure. ~ The Cherokees' tribal vitality would again save them, as it had throughout their history. ~ STEELE-WOODWARD 'A Cherokee Feast of Days', by Joyce Sequichie Hifler *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* Elder's Meditation of the Day April 20 "You must be prepared and know the reason why you dance." --Thomas Yellowtail, CROW Inside every human being is a need to dance. We dance to music. Have you even wondered why people are moved when they hear an Indian Drum? The drum is the heartbeat of the Mother Earth. Every Indian dance is for a purpose and a reason. Every Song is for a reason. The beat of the drum makes our bodies, minds and spirits join together in harmony. It allows us to connect to Mother Earth and to each other. The dance aligns our minds to think spiritual thoughts. Dancing to the drum is healthy. Great Spirit, today, I dance to honor you. *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* 'THINK on THESE THINGS' By Joyce Sequichie Hifler As long as there has been a human race, there has been someone crying out, "No one understands!" Somewhere along the way communications have broken down and the result is misunderstanding. To be misunderstood is painful. We keep wanting to explain and explain until we get our message across. Sometimes it is the lack of the wise use of words. Then, it may be an unwilling ear. But whatever the race, the politics, sophisticated or home grown, everyone has the desire to be understood. They want every motive, every mood, completely and unquestionably understood. But to be completely understood can also have its rebound. A goddess can turn into a woman and a hero can slip into a man when only one of their moods is completely understood. Understanding breeds familiarity. Familiarity may not breed contempt, but it can certainly take the edge off the mystery. And, it is mystery that keeps life interesting. In all wisdom, we should worry much less about being completely understood, and make a more diligent effort to understand others. Something dies within us when no one cares. It is a circumstance of our own making when we have failed to give to another the thought and concern that would have helped when it was most needed. Sorrows can be borne because others care. Greatness can be achieved because someone cared. To care is our purpose. Who knows but that these small acts of sympathy and understanding may place another life into the one slot on the jigsaw puzzle of life. If we were all the things we expect of others, the result would be perfection. We would be perfect in forgiveness, faithful in love, and devoted to the welfare of others. Such excellence has never been accomplished, except that we work continually for it. To work for it, we have to care. And for someone to care is the thing that matters. "Instead of allowing yourself to be so unhappy, just let your love grow as God wants it to grow; seek goodness in others, love more persons more; love them more impersonally, more unselfishly, without thought or return. The return, never fear, will take care of itself." - Henry Drummond. *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* Available online! 'Cherokee Feast of Days' By Joyce Sequichie Hifler. Visit her web site to purchase the wonderful books by Joyce as gifts for yourself or for loved ones......and also for those who don't have access to the Internet: http://www.hifler.com Click Here to Buy her books at Amazon.com Elder's Meditation of the Day By White Bison, Inc., an American Indian-owned nonprofit organization. Order their many products from their web site: http://www.whitebison.org *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* If you would like to be added to The Daily Feast email list, CLICK HERE!

April 19 - Daily Feast

April 19 - Daily Feast A woodland path is good medicine for a weary walker. Soft, rolling steps along the path do not interrupt the harmony of the woods. Even the snort of the doe before she bounds away is to tell her fawn to lie low. Many pauses give time to hear and see in detail the call of a busy titmouse and the high-pitched whistle of the finch. This is Cherokee paradise - to stand quietly in aged timber and be so much a part of it. Even the tiny creek plays water-harps as it winds its way around clumps of dried leaves and slips over round stones that are a part of its past handiwork. This is a green cathedral with shafts of sunlight cutting through thick foliage to turn droplets of water into prisms of color. Nothing is out of place - not even the walker. ~ Indian's pictures last forever. ~ INDIAN GUIDE, PIPESTONE CREEK 1882 'A Cherokee Feast of Days', by Joyce Sequichie Hifler *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* Elder's Meditation of the Day April 19 "We all come from the same root, but the leaves are all different." --John Fire Lame Deer, LAKOTA We all come from one Great Spirit but we are all different and unique. Nothing in the Great Creation has a twin that is identical. Even children that are twins are different. Every single person is extremely special and unique. Each person has a purpose and reason why they are on the Earth. Just like every leaf on a tree is different, each one is needed to make the tree look like it does. No leaf is better or worse than the otherâ€"all leaves are of equal worth and belong on the tree. It is the same with human beings. We each belong here and do things that will affect the great whole. Great Spirit, today, let me see myself as a valuable contributor to the whole. *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* 'THINK on THESE THINGS' By Joyce Sequichie Hifler Others don't seem to be interested in our excuses - they merely want performance. Alibis for lack of service, for lack of ability to give a full measure of trust make a bad servant. And we are all servants, serving each other in one way or another. It is an unhappy one who is not depended upon for something. There is great satisfaction in being needed, even to the point of doing more than one is capable of doing. English divine Sidney Smith once wrote, "Try to make at least one person happy every day, and then in ten years you may have made three thousand, six hundred and fifty persons happy, or brightened a small town by your contribution to the fund of general enjoyment." We cannot move a step upon this earth without finding someone to serve. And as we serve each day, we never stop to consider how many we've made happy; but it should be very vivid in our minds how many we've made unhappy. *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* Available online! 'Cherokee Feast of Days' By Joyce Sequichie Hifler. Visit her web site to purchase the wonderful books by Joyce as gifts for yourself or for loved ones......and also for those who don't have access to the Internet: http://www.hifler.com Click Here to Buy her books at Amazon.com Elder's Meditation of the Day By White Bison, Inc., an American Indian-owned nonprofit organization. Order their many products from their web site: http://www.whitebison.org *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* If you would like to be added to The Daily Feast email list, CLICK HERE!

April 18 - Daily Feast

April 18 - Daily Feast The voice of doom is loud in our land. It is predicting unheard of fears and possibilities. But we have the antidote in our mouths - our words. Words are powerful, able to turn away the negative thoughts and words of those who have no purpose but to degrade. We don't have to let other people decide that we are victims of every attack, every disease, every wrongdoing. Our u in ne tsv (words), say the Cherokees, are mighty to pull down anything or any person that lies in wait to harm us. Life and death are truly in the power of the tongue - and our part is to study the use of words and their effects on us. We know what it is to hear words of courage. It is light entering a dark place and we hear as well as speak. ~ Give ear, I am the mouth of my nation. ~ KIOSATON 'A Cherokee Feast of Days', by Joyce Sequichie Hifler *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* Elder's Meditation of the Day April 18 "Our people don't come in parts. Either you are Indian, or you are not." --Nippawanock, ARAPAHOE We really need to take a look at how Indian People are talking about Indian People. We say there are Rez Indians, Traditional Indians, Urban Indians and Breeds. This type of thinking will keep us separated. An Indian is an Indian, a brother is a brother, a sister is a sister. We are all related. Today, let us respect ourselves and our people. Today, let me realize Indians are Indians. Great Spirit, let me see the Unity of the People. Indians are Indians. *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* 'THINK on THESE THINGS' By Joyce Sequichie Hifler A graphologist is a handwriting analysis expert who can take apart the loops and dashes of our penmanship and tell us about our nature. We have a natural curiosity about ourselves. We want to know whether our self-image is the true one. We often think we are capable of seeing another's true nature, but we seem to lack the ability to really know ourselves. In fact, so much about us reveals our disposition and temperament that it can be distressing. Our handwriting may tell us about our emotional nature, and we may learn that we are introverts by the slant of our letters, but much of our disposition can be self-analyzed by the way other people respond to us. It doesn't take a graphologist to tell us that if we are inconsistent in our friendliness, if the tongue alternates acid and honey, if we continually complain, continually gossip, criticize and pout, we are revealing a nature we too often think is hidden. *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* Available online! 'Cherokee Feast of Days' By Joyce Sequichie Hifler. Visit her web site to purchase the wonderful books by Joyce as gifts for yourself or for loved ones......and also for those who don't have access to the Internet: http://www.hifler.com Click Here to Buy her books at Amazon.com Elder's Meditation of the Day By White Bison, Inc., an American Indian-owned nonprofit organization. Order their many products from their web site: http://www.whitebison.org *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* If you would like to be added to The Daily Feast email list, CLICK HERE!

April 17 - Daily Feast

April 17 - Daily Feast We want to do the right thing, say the right thing, be the right person. We try to be in tune with life, to find harmony within to blend with all that surrounds us. It just seems that so much has been borrowed from us - time, concern, spirit - until we cry for restoration. Like children, we want to ask, "Are we happy yet?" Is there a time of rhythm and order and an even beat, so that we may walk without running, laugh without tears, care without fear of giving too much? Yes, beyond the slightest doubt we can renew and we can overcome the feeling of being totally taxed to despair. Speak to yourself, said the little Cherokee grandmother. Tell yourself you are u wo du hi, fine looking, and your surroundings will see it and want you to be happy. In other words, change your attitude and the world will respond. ~ Why do you take by force what you could obtain by love? ~ POWHATAN 'A Cherokee Feast of Days', by Joyce Sequichie Hifler *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* Elder's Meditation of the Day April 17 "Women know more about love than men do...Love is taking. Love is sharing. Love is learning things about each other." --Mary Leitka, HOH The Elders say Mother Earth shares Her special gifts of love with the Women. The Women know about bringing forth life and nurturing their offspring. Through this gift of love the Earth really makes the Woman special. Men should look upon the Woman with a Sacred Eye. She should be respected. The Woman is a role model for love. When the Woman talks, we should listen; when she shares, we should be grateful. We should all learn about each other. Grandmother, teach me to love with the power of the Woman. *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* 'THINK on THESE THINGS' By Joyce Sequichie Hifler The greatest tragedy of life is not that we quarrel with our fellows, but that we do not take time to know them. In his great understanding of man and nature, Thoreau wrote, "Let a man take time enough for the most trivial deed." Take time. How often what seems to be an unfriendly atmosphere is only a lack of time. Some of our dearest friends are hidden behind the mask of hurry. And we need so desperately to know each other. Understanding comes when people are allowed to talk to one another. They discover the ways and needs, the loves and hopes, and the despairs and fears when they take enough time to speak of them. All these things that make for understanding and compassion come from personal contact and the knowledge and practice of good will. People become more civilized, more peaceful, more as God intended them to be when they take time to make friends out of acquaintances. To be a good listener endears many a friendship. Everyone needs someone with whom to talk at length on all subjects without later regret. It has been written, "What a great blessing is a friend with breast so trusty that you may bury all your secrets in it." And how often we need to be that friend and be the listener, and to make sure we are worthy of that trust. Listening comes in many ways. We listen with all our sense, knowing many times without having to be told what someone's needs are. Charles Dickens said that no one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it for anyone else. And it just may be by listening that we lighten another's load. Sometimes we listen with our hearts and understand in silence. Sometimes we simply have to put ourselves into a situation to understand all sides of it. And we best do so by listening. All our lives we carry secrets with us that we long to reveal to someone who understands. There are relationships in our lives better and closer than the ordinary. Closer yet than brothers or sisters are those with whom we can share all our secrets, we think. What a sad state of affairs when life imparts that others cannot always be trusted. What a shock to realize we have given all our hearts and bared our souls to people whose curiosity was the only motive that compelled them to listen. Phillip Massinger, sixteenth century poet wrote, "I have played the fool, the gross fool to believe the bosom of a friend would hold a secret mine own could not contain." Not one of us can testify that we have nothing within our lives and thoughts that we cannot reveal. And many of us have not expressed our innermost thoughts because we have found no one in whom we can confide. As Shakespeare said, "Many a man's tongue shakes out its master's undoing." Sometimes the loquacious tell their secrets not out of a need to tell them, but out of a love of talking. One of the greatest feelings in the world is to discover we haven't told something we cherish very much to someone we once thought we could trust. *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* Available online! 'Cherokee Feast of Days' By Joyce Sequichie Hifler. Visit her web site to purchase the wonderful books by Joyce as gifts for yourself or for loved ones......and also for those who don't have access to the Internet: http://www.hifler.com Click Here to Buy her books at Amazon.com Elder's Meditation of the Day By White Bison, Inc., an American Indian-owned nonprofit organization. Order their many products from their web site: http://www.whitebison.org *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* If you would like to be added to The Daily Feast email list, CLICK HERE!

April 16 - Daily Feast

April 16 - Daily Feast April is the color of jonquils, the fragrance of hyacinths, and the dewiness of violets. The sunlit meadows are carpeted with tiny blue flowers, and along the ravines wild strawberries are as sweet and tart as April air. We forget that while the earth sleeps, life goes on, growing, developing, spreading, until at the right moment it reveals itself in glorious colors and shapes. A few short weeks ago everything was brown and somber. Now the colors are radiant and the very air is tinted the color of new leaves. A new aura outlines the distant hills and only human beings have to see and taste and stir themselves to new life. ~ I love the and....the trees which cover it, the grass growing on it. ~ COMO 'A Cherokee Feast of Days', by Joyce Sequichie Hifler *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* Elder's Meditation of the Day April 16 "But one should pray in one's heart during a sacred ceremony; this is the purpose of the ceremony, to purify the participants both inside and outside." --Thomas Yellowtail, CROW How do you know if you are praying from your heart or from your head? Pray from your head and you will feel nothing; pray from your heart and you will feel feelings. You may feel sorrow, you may feel joy, you may want to cry, depending on what you are praying for. During the ceremony, the cleansing will take place. The Medicine Wheel teaches the four directions of inner power: emotional, mental, physical and spiritual. The prayer controls the emotional, mental and physical. When we ask for purification of our feelings, our mental mind and our physical body, the spiritual direction causes the cleansing to happen. Great Spirit, create in me a clean heart. *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* 'THINK on THESE THINGS' By Joyce Sequichie Hifler In this jet age when almost "instant there" is commonly accepted, the world has become very small. The days of remaining in one's own birthplace are near an end, and those who never dreamed of traveling have adjusted themselves to it quite well. And with shorter distances between us and our neighbors it seems our worlds should find more opportunities for mutual understanding. But we must realize that even though our material worlds may be easily crossed, our thoughts are worlds apart. Until we can bring together a thinking people with the desire to create living conditions that are peaceful and full of kindness, fast travel can waver between good and bad. A British novelist and poet, George Moore, said, "It is thought, and thought only, that divides right from wrong; it is thought, and thought only, that elevates or degrades human deeds and desires." *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* Available online! 'Cherokee Feast of Days' By Joyce Sequichie Hifler. Visit her web site to purchase the wonderful books by Joyce as gifts for yourself or for loved ones......and also for those who don't have access to the Internet: http://www.hifler.com Click Here to Buy her books at Amazon.com Elder's Meditation of the Day By White Bison, Inc., an American Indian-owned nonprofit organization. Order their many products from their web site: http://www.whitebison.org *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* If you would like to be added to The Daily Feast email list, CLICK HERE!

April 15 - Daily Feast

April 15 - Daily Feast Think and talk pleasant things. When pressures are too much, turn around and think and talk on another subject. Most of us are victims of our own emotions. We allow them to take over our peace of mind and there is nothing left to do but cry. And what we worry about becomes so real, so intense, that we believe it in all sincerity. The Cherokees say this is v yo-ho wa yi gi, something that is not true. When we are provoked to be negative there is no point in berating ourselves. Rather, say, "This is not acceptable. This is not my way and I refuse guilt, refuse being overwrought, and that is the end of the conflict." ~ You have spoken words of comfort....as though the Great Spirit was speaking through you. ~ LITTLE BEAVER 'A Cherokee Feast of Days', by Joyce Sequichie Hifler *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* Elder's Meditation of the Day April 15 "When people live far from the scenes of the Great Spirit's making, it's easy for them to forget his laws." --Walking Buffalo, STONEY Society today is way off track. Unfortunately, many Indian people are caught up in these modern times. The Elders are telling us we must wake up! We must come back to the culture because this is where His laws are. If we don't follow these laws, we will be unhappy. We cannot do things just because everybody is doing them. This does not make it right. We must follow what the Great Spirit says we must do. We need to pray hard for the courage to come back and live according to the culture. It will be difficult at first but worth it in the end. We must teach our children the culture. Great Spirit, today, let me listen to the warnings of the Elders. *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* 'THINK on THESE THINGS' By Joyce Sequichie Hifler Cooperation is said to be the essence of success. Without it confusion and chaos are the ruling factors and in harmony the main thought. Cooperation is a result of excellent leadership, the ability to build a team of loyal players who can follow instructions or think for themselves, whichever is for the best of all concerned. A team is a group with specific parts to play. In all wisdom they know a little about every part, but they play their own positions with precision and efficiency. Every player cannot be captain, and every person cannot play quarterback. The part may be small, but if it is played with fairness and dignity and to the utmost of ability, then it will be as important to the successful outcomes or results as the biggest job in the team. The practical view of cooperation is vivid in John Dickinson's words, "By uniting we stand; by dividing we fall." We are only as strong as the weakest, only as cooperative as the spirit in which we work. *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* Available online! 'Cherokee Feast of Days' By Joyce Sequichie Hifler. Visit her web site to purchase the wonderful books by Joyce as gifts for yourself or for loved ones......and also for those who don't have access to the Internet: http://www.hifler.com Click Here to Buy her books at Amazon.com Elder's Meditation of the Day By White Bison, Inc., an American Indian-owned nonprofit organization. Order their many products from their web site: http://www.whitebison.org *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* If you would like to be added to The Daily Feast email list, CLICK HERE!

April 14 - Daily Feast

April 14 - Daily Feast Great strength exists in the smallest things. The spider's web is so exquisitely formed, a fragile gossamer remnant. But it is stronger in proportion to size and weight than the finest steel. The hummingbird's wings send out impulses strong enough to resemble the throb of a tiny high speed engine - but early on, it was thought that because of the way its wings were constructed it could never fly. Love can be a mere glance, di ka nv to di, a brief word, a silent touch. But it reaches past time and space and mere existence. Prayer, short, deep - a word from the depth of heart and spirit can work miracles and change a whole world. ~ There is something that whispers to me....to listen to offers of peace. ~ LITTLE TURTLE 'A Cherokee Feast of Days', by Joyce Sequichie Hifler *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* Elder's Meditation of the Day April 14 "The base of all things is love, respect." --Vickie Downey, TEWA/Tesuque Pueblo The greatest weapon of any Spiritual Warrior is love. Love will change minds; love will forgive; love will let go; love will cause good luck; love will heal; love will cry; love will get rid of resentments; love will overcome fear. Love loves love. Any human who is loving will be guaranteed respect. Respect loves love. We need to love and respect ourselves. Grandmother, Grandfather, today, lead me on the path of love. *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* 'THINK on THESE THINGS' By Joyce Sequichie Hifler Have you considered the effect your presence may have on people around you? Do they need you? The answer is yes. We are somewhat selfish with our presence at times. We want to withdraw and think our own thoughts and read quietly rather than entertaining someone or just listening to them. But we never really know how much they need us, not to perform good deeds for their good, but only to be company to share a happening of the day. Perhaps within their minds we can quiet some restlessness, assure them that they are needed or give them a feeling of tranquility. To many, life is no simple matter, and to hear them out may be the remedy. It has been said by a very wise man that if you never make a mistake you're not doing anything. It is a relief to know that every day, without fail, we come in contact with people who put such confidence in us that we strive ever harder to never fail. Such people build human beings - and there is no job more worthy, or more creative. Building character and confidence in fellow human beings is a delicate task....for no two people respond in the same way. Challenges may be the way to boost up some individuals, while others may need encouragement and praise to guide them on the way. But, oh, how human we all are, having the need for accomplishment....for attention....for approval. And how great the responsibility for leaders who must have the wisdom to inspire....the integrity to trust....the heart to understand. The race is hard for leader and follower; for each must understand the other - and there must be compassion for the slow, courage for the weak, and appreciation for the loyal. To follow one must be secure; to lead one must be very wise. It should be the practice of all of us that when we hear something complimentary about someone to tell them. It is so true that man does not live by bread alone, and to be recognized in having something that rated approval is a very great reward. Nothing so builds character in children than to let them know someone believes they have a fine potential. That feeling that "someone believes in me" can be the very thing that will anchor their faith deep in hope for humanity. To be able to see the good acts of others renders service to ourselves. Swiss theologian John Casper Lavater once said, "He is incapable of a truly good actions who finds not a pleasure in contemplating the good actions of others." Appreciation for the achievement of others is akin to sunshine - we simply can't help it shine on other people without feeling the glow ourselves." *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* Available online! 'Cherokee Feast of Days' By Joyce Sequichie Hifler. Visit her web site to purchase the wonderful books by Joyce as gifts for yourself or for loved ones......and also for those who don't have access to the Internet: http://www.hifler.com Click Here to Buy her books at Amazon.com Elder's Meditation of the Day By White Bison, Inc., an American Indian-owned nonprofit organization. Order their many products from their web site: http://www.whitebison.org *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* If you would like to be added to The Daily Feast email list, CLICK HERE!

April 13 - Daily Feast

April 13 - Daily Feast The quiet companionship of a comforting person is like balm to the soul. Like Mother Earth, she absorbs the shock of pain and erases the wounds, and even the scars, with time. These kindred spirits seem to be able to take our hand and walk with us through the difficult places they have already traveled. They keep us from the loneliness that pervades our experiences, waiting for a word that we have passed through safely. And best of all, they never bring it up again but let the past take care of the past. Their eyes are on tomorrow, their hands on the present time so that we never hear empty echoes and are never reminded that we were unhappy. And then, we in quiet ways, can reach back and take someone's hand. ~ I take you by the hand with all my heart....you have spoken comfort to us. ~ LITTLE BEAVER'S WIFE 'A Cherokee Feast of Days', by Joyce Sequichie Hifler *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* Elder's Meditation of the Day April 13 "Once you make a friend, a friend never leaves you, even to death. So a friend is really hard to find." --Wallace Black Elk, LAKOTA Once, an Elder told me he made a decision to be my friend. He said this friendship wasn't based on my behavior or how I acted; he said the friendship was based on his decision. He decided to be my friend. This friendship has happened like he said. Even if I don't see him for a long time, or if I get mad at him, he has never changed his decision. This is true friendship. Great Spirit, I'm glad you are this kind of Friend. *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* 'THINK on THESE THINGS' By Joyce Sequichie Hifler Henry David Thoreau, whose love for simplicity often took him into solitude, also wrote of the sensitive side of human nature. "The finest qualities of our nature, like the bloom on fruits, can be preserved only by the most delicate handling." How easy it is to destroy the only approach to our true selves. And how often communications are broken down by the brutal force of "getting the point" and speaking "frankly." The only time an agreement has been reached by the frankly routine is when two people already believe in the same thing. And it is a most infrequent occasion when two people can meet head-on and believe the other honest because that person is direct and wordy. More often, there must be some thought given to the sensitivity of the other person. First, that person is a human being with human dignity; feelings and thoughts, strong likes and dislikes. And it is a considerate person who has the sensitive perception and insight into the heart of another, and because of that thoughtfulness can be more honest and direct and progress by it. Nevertheless, if one has to be constantly on the outlook to keep from offending a friend, then that person is not really a friend. It isn't difficult to be a friend to someone who is endearing to everyone. Indeed it is a pleasure to be counted among the person's friends. But it is another thing altogether to be a friend to someone who finds little friendship anywhere. Other people seldom see us as we are. In fact, who we truly are is lost somewhere among our daily contacts. We react differently to nearly every person we meet. Their personality and ours may blend beautifully or they may clash horribly. And we can rather tell where the fault lies when we balance out the blends and the clashes. Are we easy to be friends with, or are we merely acquaintances and nothing more? If people have to dodge around so many issues in order to keep us sweet, we need to hear some truth about ourselves. If we can't do it, it may have to come from a friend. Then, we must remember the words of Thomas A. Becket, "Better are the blows of a friend than the kisses of an enemy." *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* Available online! 'Cherokee Feast of Days' By Joyce Sequichie Hifler. Visit her web site to purchase the wonderful books by Joyce as gifts for yourself or for loved ones......and also for those who don't have access to the Internet: http://www.hifler.com Click Here to Buy her books at Amazon.com Elder's Meditation of the Day By White Bison, Inc., an American Indian-owned nonprofit organization. Order their many products from their web site: http://www.whitebison.org *<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>* If you would like to be added to The Daily Feast email list, CLICK HERE!