Mid-March 2001
Never-ending, always flowing , so is life.
I look back in time to other paths I've walked and I see where I now stand and much makes sense, and some I am still trying hard to undertstand. Such hard lessons! Such pain of spirit, heart, body and mind. Wondering why. Trying hard to see, because I "know" that all things happen for a reason. Nothing is without its purpose.
As the Seasons change - as the the old ends and the new begins, such is our life.
I have thought often about where we are going as a People. I have seen so much good, but I have seen so much pain. People reaching out struggling hard to regain their footing on an ancestral path that was started long ago, and along the way, much was lost.
But the most important thing was never lost! The knowing. The knowing who we are - and no one can take that from us.
The harder they try to take that from us, only enforces the undeniable truth of who we are as a People.
I have seen many things happen over the last several years. I have seen people who try to take what is good and true from others with words of hatred and derision, with no respect shown not only for the two-leggeds - man and woman, but for our animal brothers and sisters. The winged ones. The creepy crawlers - all life - the trees - the waters - the sky and stars and sun. And yet, they claim to be the "real Indian."
What is a "real Indian?" Is it a card? Is it a certain way we are suppose to look? No. It's our life. We are who we are and it's how we live every day. We make mistakes. We are weak, for as the Sacred Prayer says, "are greatest enemy is ourselves" and to Great Spirit we pray, "Creator help me to overcome my greatest enemy, myself."
But we are suppose to learn and grow in wisdom. To repeat ways in which we know hurt others, life, to disrespect our Mother, to disrespect our women, and to disrespect ourselves at all, is to give great disrespect to the Greatest One of all who made us.
I am Cherokee. I am an American Indian woman.
My spirituality is who I am - it is my life. Someone helped me to see this. Someone touched my spirit deeply tonight and I have learned another lesson in this earthwalk. To that sister I will always be grateful. She has given a piece of her heart, she shares her spirit and this is what we must do.
With all life. For it is our only hope.
© Evening Rain - March 16, 2001
Cherokee
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