Sheila Williams ~ Singing Cloud

WHAT CREATOR MADE YOU!

Sheila Williams: What Creator Made You! Gather time is here again
time to prepare for coming winter
as a family work together
bringing in all Mother Earth offers,
lift voices in prayers of thanks giving for the bounty,
go to water and be humble before Creator
who loves all of earths children.

Through the dark times at the story fire we gather,
here we are taught life’s good lessons
with stories kept from times beginning,
here the children sit wide eyed for hours
learning how to value the gifts
they themselves are given daily.

As each story slowly unfolds like a flower softly,
gently in awe filled voices,
our Elder kin are explained to us
as they faced life’s trials,
this is how we are guided to make wise decisions
in our own times of need or troubles,
by their stumbles.

Each begins with Creator
telling of the gifts we are granted,
in a time when the animals talked and shared their wisdom
and mistakes with each other,
what to eat and where to hide,
who to trust and who was trickster,
these are things important for living.

For the humans understanding we are not perfect,
or greater than our sisters and brothers,
how many troubles tsisdu brought on himself,
trying to be something other than himself;
he worked harder than he must
and all he ever earned was sorrow.

So lovingly they were kept these stories that tell us of ourselves,
that teach how important is honor and respect,
working together makes things better for all not just self,
taking from others brings only loss of who you are and all you could be.

Listen well children of the People
the stories live and are truth,
the history of your kind and all they have seen and done,
where they began so long ago in the mists of mystery
are the seeds of you and me,
are not we all much like tsisdu?

Do we not yearn for others gifts thinking less of ourselves,
never seeing what we have,
always wishing for something more than our fair share,
thinking it would be better to be other than what we are,
easier if we were all the same?

It does not matter if we do not have Eagles wings,
Hawks eyes, Otters fine fur, or Bears strength, and Panthers stealth,
we each are made with loving care by Creator to fill a place in life’s Circle
and if honest and humble know it is good.

These are the things the stories teach us,
they live and speak still today
telling us to return to the ways we were created to fulfill,
giving pride in who you are
yet knowing each are equals in their own way,
and being different is important.

In the Circle at the fire gathered close with your kin,
feel the need of the others share their joys and their sorrows,
learn to understand you need not be just like everyone to be special,
it is not human approval that is important,
like tsisdu learn to be just what Creator made you !