Happy Thanksgiving!
Let us express much gratitude and appreciation for all the blessings that we receive in every Moment of Now from God/Goddess/All That Is, to include those Beings of Unconditional Love who gave/give to others (to include Mother Nature) their kindness, their care, their attention, their respect, their acceptance, and share(d) their food, knowledge, wisdom, spirituality and healing.
Note: Thank you www.ilhawaii.net for image on right.
I’ve only crossed paths with Native Americans three times throughout 40 years of my life, and I’ve lived in and traveled many places throughout the U.S. and around the world.
When I was four years old, while traveling cross country with my parents, my mother and I was waiting in the car while my dad was doing god knows what.
I recall seeing three Native Americans (one with an extravagant headdress) approach us with a gentle smile. My mother later told me that they thought that my mother was Native American because she had long, black hair and a tan at the time. I just remember being fascinated by their presence, as well as their huge and colorful teepees.
Note: Thank you fineartamerica.com for beautiful image on left.
In Army basic training, I met a Native American female who looked more like a female version of Geronimo than Pocahontas—she looked real tough.
I was so intrigued by her because, not only did she remind me of a fierce warrior with the heart of a bear, but she was also like a rare, sparkling gem found in the deepest of oceans.
Although she was initially struggling with her physical fitness test, she was very determined to be one of the fastest runners before graduation; and sure enough, she met her goal.
Even though being big-boned made it challenging for her to run fast, one glance at her intense facial expression, as we were running one day, convinced me the immense power of having a BIG heart.
Note: Thank you eddietwohawks.wordpress.com for beautiful image on right.
I’m very grateful that I had a rare opportunity to meet someone like her; she empowered me with her determination, dedication, persistence, and strong faith, and she shared with me some personal stories of her family traditions, to include eating buffalo around a campfire.
The third time I met a Native American was in Okinawa. He was a Marine who was stationed at Camp Foster, and a regular customer at the exchange/shoppette I was working at.
He was very quiet and well-mannered, unlike some of the marines, who seemed loud and sometimes overly cocky and/or obnoxious. But what caught my attention the most was that he had this look of wisdom in his eyes as if he was an old soul. He truly seemed like one of the few and the proud professional marines.
Note: Thank you fineartamerica.com for wonderful image on left.
I once heard on TV Chris Rock jokingly ask his audience when was the last time any of us saw a Native American family at Red Lobster or some other restaurant just enjoying themselves. I believe most of our answers would be, “Never,” and that saddens me.
However, since it’s not beneficial to us to be sad or depressed about the past, the positive perspective is to learn from our past, and to remind ourselves to return kindness with kindness, respect with respect, and love with love, regardless of what our differences are.
We never know what or who we’ll end up missing if we don’t release the illusion of separation, and finally remember that we are truly all One.
We are ALL a Divine part of God/Goddess/All That Is. We are ALL in essence Unconditional Love, Peace, Joy, Freedom, Abundance, Truth (our own truth), Wisdom, Creativity and Empowerment.
Note: Thank you people.desktopnexus.com for soul-touching image on right.
The following readings inspired me to write this post:
| The REAL Story of Thanksgiving |
| Introduction for Teachers |
| The Plymouth Thanksgiving Story |
The following is a section from The Plymouth Thanksgiving Story (http://manataka.org/page269.html):
Today the town of Plymouth Rock has a Thanksgiving ceremony each year in remembrance of the first Thanksgiving. There are still Wampanoag people living in Massachusetts. In 1970, they asked one of them to speak at the ceremony to mark the 350th anniversary of the Pilgrim’s arrival. Here is part of what was said:“Today is a time of celebrating for you — a time of looking back to the first days of white people in America. But it is not a time of celebrating for me. It is with a heavy heart that I look back upon what happened to my People. When the Pilgrims arrived, we, the Wampanoags, welcomed them with open arms, little knowing that it was the beginning of the end. That before 50 years were to pass, the Wampanoag would no longer be a tribe. That we and other Indians living near the settlers would be killed by their guns or dead from diseases that we caught from them. Let us always remember, the Indian is and was just as human as the white people.Although our way of life is almost gone, we, the Wampanoags, still walk the lands of Massachusetts. What has happened cannot be changed. But today we work toward a better America, a more Indian America where people and nature once again are important.”
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