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February 2
Watch those images you build in your mind.
Though some of them can be quite beau-
tiful, some may be dark and dire. We seem to be
experts in building negative mental images. Or we
can't focus on anything. Something triggers a
thought and we are off like a hound chasing some-
thing in the deep woods. Then another thought
comes along and we chase that for awhile. If we're
not like a hound, we're sometimes like a fish--over
and over we jump out of the stream to catch an
elusive insect. We never catch it, but we keep on
trying no matter what.
Try to keep your thoughts focused on things
that are worth focusing on! Important thoughts are
worth returning to again and again, because on
some deep level, they feed our spirits. As Thoreau
put it, "Know your own bone, gnaw at it, bury it,
unearth it again."
We are like fish in the water, we jump at whatever is
thrown.
-MUSCAHTEWISHAH, KICKAPOO
By: Joyce Sequichie Hifler
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February 3 A less than attractive face can smile and we for- get the homely features--but we don't forget an ugly temper or an ugly personality. When I was very young, my grandmother would send me to the chicken house to gather eggs. A hen might be on the nest, but I could still slip my hand under her in search of eggs. But sometimes I forgot which hens were just sitting on the nests and which were incu- bating eggs. If I mistakenly slid my hand into the nest of a brooder hen, she would explode with pecking and squawking. I never forgot it. Some people are like brooder hens--they have hair triggers that are ready to go off for any reason. At least the hens have a reason for being that way. But life for people like that must be miserable--and their main aim seems to be to make life miserable for others. Don't make war, make peace. By: Joyce Sequichie Hifler
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February 4 Cold weather makes sound carry for miles. A dog barks, calves bawl, cows answer, an owl hoots, and you know it is winter in the country. Somewhere in the distance coyotes tune up and our dogs listen intently. It makes a person wonder if domestic dogs and wild ones speak the same lan- guage. There may be a siren or a truck horn on a faraway highway where a driver pushes to get over a steep grade. The sounds come clearly, and so do the unusual sounds of birds in the woods--ones we never hear any other time. Farm machinery clangs, doors slam, and so it goes while we listen to other people's lives without their knowing it. We have a multitude of ways to communicate and let others know they are not alone in the world. But one other thing we always need to re- member: let the sound you make be joyful. The ground says. "It was from me [that] man was made." The Great Spirit, in placing men on earth, desired them to take good care of the ground and to do each other no harm." -YOUNG CHIEF, CAYUSE By: Joyce Sequichie Hifler
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February 5 Notice the characteristics of gentle people, those who are not poised to react to every negative situation. They don't sulk or pout, and they truly want to help whenever they can. Gentle people entertain no animosity or feel any glee when someone stumbles. They do not give up on loving and caring deeply--nor is it their nature to push or control. They don't treat others as though they are bugs caught under a glass. Sometimes we try too hard to be everything to everyone, and it is not possible. Gentle people help where they can, but they do not demand results. They allow peace. They appreciate others who give so much, for so little. The true human is someone who is aware, someone who is, moment by moment, totally and completely merged wth life. He is a listener. -JOSEPH RAEL, UTE By: Joyce Sequichie Hifler
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February 6 Sometimes we smile as we remember the fra- grance of a flower, the beauty of a sunbeam, the elegance of a strain of music, or the wonder of birdsong in early morning. How rich we are in memory! What wealth we can cull from what once seemed unimportant! Surely this is all we shall ever need. Good memo- ries dissolve old dead unhappy thoughts. What's left is the "cream," the rich and wonderful memories that feed our hearts and make us smile. What a gift--they are there for us to enjoy over and over in the silence of our own mind. Waniya, waniya, wakan--spirit, life, breath, renewal, it means all of that. -JOHN (FIRE) LAME DEER, SIOUX By: Joyce Sequichie Hifler
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February 7 This winter morning offered a nice view in every direction. Beautiful sheep grazed on the east side and a herd of deer, seven does and year- lings, ate acorns on the west side. A deer feeder filled with corn hangs from an oak tree, but the squirrels usually get there first. Tell me there are other beautiful sights in other parts of the world, but this is our land, our woods, and to us nothing compares with it. Most any time of the day we can look out and see something that delights our spir- its--an owl, a water bird croaking along on the way to the pond, and even a coyote or two. Feeding our spirits is as necessary as feeding our bodies. Good books, music, and sunshine can help us to see and hear afresh. This is what the Cherokee calls "a breaking up of those things that set up in the mind and will not move without coaxing." Time spent enriching the spirit is worth an abundant effort. To us the earth was tame, was bountiful, and we were surrounded with the blessing of the Great Mystery. -CHIEF LUTHER STANDING BEAR, LAKOTA By: Joyce Sequichie Hifler
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February 8 Every good photographer knows the important thing is focus. Focus is first, and then other things follow. Even so-called candid shots that look spontaneous and turn out to be keepers rely on the steady hand on the camera. Total concentration on a precise moment makes all the difference. Whatever we want, whatever seems the right thing for us requires focus and dedication. We can- not waver when we are placing our mental images, changing our minds, and beginning all over again. There is nothing wrong with changing our minds. From all appearances, we need to do more of it rather than jumping in with no real direction. But once we find a perfect place, we need to focus steadily and get a clear picture. What we are living today is what we focused on yesterday. Is it cloudy or blurry? Is the color true? Is the picture true? Or have we distorted the images by not being focused? A pause giving time for thought was the truly courte- ous way of beginning and conducting a conversation. -CHIEF LUTHER STANDING BEAR, LAKOTA By: Joyce Sequichie Hifler
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February 9 The earth and the world are two different things. A map of the earth shows landmasses and water. A map of the world shows people masses and attitudes and the circumstances surrounding them. The earth has hot spots, geological upheavals, and interaction of the elements. The world has political hot spots, social upheavals, and conflicting attitudes. There are questions about what is wrong and what is right, what is superior and what is inferior--and who is to rule the world. The earth has little wrong--it goes along renewing itself, trying to stay whole and clean despite human tampering. But it is the responsibility of the world to clean up its act as well. Some think it all began when the atom was split, but in all honesty, the real trouble began when man split with his better self. Individual choices are involved here--and whatever we can so to help, we had better get to it. Everyone makes his feast as he thinks best. -BLACK HAWK, SAUK By: Joyce Sequichie Hifler
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February 10 When we got word that snow was due, our first thought was that it would be a good opportunity to clean out files, closets, drawers, and pantries. Snow fell as though all the geese that ever flew over had discarded their feathers. The great fluffy flakes mesmerized everyone--and all work was put aside. What fun to watch all the birds gather at the feeders. Dozens of tiny finches clus- tered around a mesh tube of thistle seeds. Just watching was more relaxing than therapy could ever be. The need to clean up and put things in order is always there, but how often do we get to watch the red birds, blue jays, goldfinches, and snow all at once? Even when we have many things to do, it's good to take time for awe, time for beauty. When you begin a great work you can't expect to fin- ish it all at once. -TEEDYUSCUNG, DELAWARE By: Joyce Sequichie Hifler
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February 12 Somewhere, sometime, your dream will come true. Your dream, if you have shaped it and given it substance, is sitting in a mental package, ready to come forth. A dream is a vision given to you to work with and to bring into being. If some unfeeling person has told you that dreaming is a waste of time, you waste your time listening to that idea. Anything you can lay your hand on, anything you can see, anything that comes into your head as a good idea, was a dream before it ever happened. As country children growing up, almost all our activity involved dreams of what we were going to be when we grew up. Those who had no dream let the world decide for them what they would be. A proverb tells us, where the people have no vision-- they perish. Give gifts of vision to your children by playing the game of "see yourself as...." Try it yourself. Treat all men alike...give them a chance to live and grow. -CHIEF JOSEPH, NEZ PERCE By: Joyce Sequichie Hifler
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February 13 Right this minute someone has a need and has no idea how to meet it. Right this minute someone feels alone and has no one to tell them they are loved and cherished. Right this minute a child needs reassurance and love and protection from real and imagined enemies. Reach past per- sonal woes and see these people. See these situations and help without calling attention to yourself. Simply do a good deed--for the good, not the glory, or it. Too little is being done because too many wait for recognition for their good works. Some will not get involved for fear of helping someone who doesn't deserve help. None of us especially deserves love, peace, or other kinds of help, but that doesn't mean we don't need it. We can be glad for the grace of receiving without deserving it--grateful for those who give without measuring the outcome. What it boils down to--do the right thing. -YUROK By: Joyce Sequichie Hifler |
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