Thanks to Diana aka Mrdmthorpe we have these beautiful NA Proverbs today. Diana had asked me to post them for her, thanks so much Diana! blessings to all! NATIVE AMERICAN PROVERBS Speak truth in humility to all people. Only then can you be a true man. (Sioux) With all things and in all things, we are relatives. (Sioux) Love one another and do not strive for another's undoing. (Seneca) We will be known forever by the tracks we leave. (Dakota) Each person is his own judge. (Pima) Do not judge your neighbor until you walk two moons in his moccasins. (Cheyenne) There is no death, only a change of worlds. (Duwamish) The more you give, the more good things come to you. (Crow) Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Walk beside me that we may be as one. (Ute) Ask questions from your heart and you will be answered from the heart. (Omaha) None else can represent your conscience. (Anishinabe) Do not speak of evil for it creates curiosity in the hearts of the young. (Lakota) I have been to the end of the earth. I have been to the end of the water. I have been to the end of the sky. I have been to the end of the mountains. I have found none that are not my friends. (Navajo) The greatest strength is gentleness. (Iroquois) You must live your life from beginning to end; no one else can do it for you. (Hopi) Don't let yesterday use up too much of today. (Cherokee) What is past and cannot be prevented should not be grieved for. (Pawnee) Knowledge that is not used is abused. (Cree) It is easy to be brave from a distance. (Omaha) Seek wisdom; not knowledge. Knowledge is of the past; wisdom is of the future. (Lumbee) Don't be afraid to cry; it will free your mind of sorrowful thoughts. (Hopi) Listen to the voice of nature, for it holds treasures for you. (Huron) When a man moves away from nature his heart becomes hard. (Lakota) Take only what you need and leave the land as you found it. (Arapaho) God gave us each a song. (Ute) Everyone who is successful must have dreamed of something. (Maricopa) Life is not separate from death; it only looks that way. (Blackfoot) It is no longer good enough to Cry peace; we must Act peace, Live peace and Live In Peace. (Shenandoah) There can never be peace between nations until it is first known that true peace is within the souls of men. (Oglala Sioux) Love yourself; get outside yourself and take action. Focus on the solution; be at peace. (Sioux) Be satisfied with the needs inside of the wants. (Teeton Sioux) Deeds speak louder than words. (Assiniboine) Inner peace and love are the greatest of God's gifts. (Tenton Sioux) Do not only point out the way, but lead the way. (Sioux) Strive to be a person who is never absent from an important act. (Osage) We are friends; we must assist each other to bear our burdens. (Osage) Silence has so much meaning. (Yurok) Do not allow anger to poison you. (Hopi) Walk lightly in the spring; Mother Earth is pregnant. (Kiowa) There is a need for obedience all around us. (Sauk) Sharing and giving are the ways of God. (Sauk) _____________________________________________ May you find serenity and tranquility in a world you may not always understand. May the pain you have known and the conflict you have experienced give you the strength to walk through life facing each new situation with courage and optimism. Always know that there are those whose love and understanding will always be there, even when you feel most alone. May you discover enough goodness in others to believe in a world of peace. May a kind word, a reassuring touch, a warm smile be yours every day of your life, and may you give these gifts as well as receive them. Remember the sunshine when the storm seems unending. Teach love to those who know hate, and let that love embrace you as you go into the world. May the teaching of those you admire become part of you, so that you may call upon them. Remember, those whose lives you have touched and who have touched yours are always a part of you, even if the encounters were less than you would have wished. It is the content of the encounter that is more important than its form. May you not become too concerned with material matters, but instead place immeasurable value on the goodness in your heart. Find time in each day to see the beauty and love in the world around you. Realize that each person has limitless abilities, but each of us is different in our own way. What you may feel you lack in one regard may be more than compensated for in another. What you feel you lack in the present may become one of your strengths in the future. May you see your future as one filled with promise and possibility. Learn to view everything as a worthwhile experience. May you find enough inner strength to determine your own worth by yourself, and not be dependent on another's judgments of your accomplishments. ________________________________________ Oh Great Spirit, Let Your voice whisper righteousness in our ear through the west wind in the late of the day. Let us be comforted with love for our brothers and sisters with no war. Let us hold good health mentally and physically to solve our problems and accomplish something for future generations of life. Let us be sincere to ourselves and our youth and make the world a better place to live. So be it. _______________________________________________ (This was written by an 8 year old, Danny Dutton, of Chula Vista, CA, for his third grade homework assignment. The assignment was to explain God. Wonder if any of us could do as well???) EXPLAIN GOD   One of God's main jobs is making people. He makes them to replace the ones that die, so there will be enough people to take care of things on earth. He doesn't make grown-ups, just babies. I think because they are smaller and easier to make. That way He doesn't have to take up His valuable time teaching them to talk and walk. He can just leave that to mothers and fathers. God's second most important job is listening to prayers. An awful lot of this goes on, since some people, like preachers and things, pray at times beside bedtime. God doesn't have time to listen to the radio or TV because of this. Because He hears everything, there must be a terrible lot of noise in His ears, unless He has thought of a way to turn it off. God sees everything and hears everything and is everywhere which keeps Him pretty busy. So you shouldn't go wasting His time by going over your Mom and Dad's head asking for something they said you couldn't have. Atheists are people who don't believe in God. I don't think there are any in Chula Vista. At least there aren't any who come to our church. Jesus is God's Son. He used to do all the hard work like walking on water and performing miracles and trying to teach the people who didn't want to learn about God. They finally got tired of Him preaching to them and they crucified Him. But He was good and kind, like His Father and He told His Father that they didn't know what they were doing and to forgive them and God said "O.K." His Dad (God) appreciated everything that He had done and all His hard work on earth so He told Him He didn't have to go out on the road anymore. He could stay in heaven. So He did. And now He helps His Dad out by listening to prayers and seeing things which are important for God to take care of and which ones He can take care of Himself without having to bother God. Like a secretary, only more important. You can pray anytime you want and They are sure to help you because They got it worked out so one of Them is on duty all the time. You should always go to church on Sunday because it makes God happy, and if there's anybody you want to make happy, it's God. Don't skip church to do something you think will be more fun like going to the beach. This is wrong. And besides the sun doesn't come out at the beach until noon anyway. If you don't believe in God, besides being an atheist, you will be very lonely, because your parents can't go everywhere with you, like to camp, but God can. It is good to know He's around you when you're scared in the dark or when you can't swim and you get thrown into real deep water by big kids. But, you shouldn't just always think of what God can do for you. I figure God put me here and He can take me back anytime He pleases. And that's why I believe in God. End~