For Shooter, think you might enjoy this bud.
Swamp, you might learn from it.
THE TREE OF LIFE - A GRANDFATHER STORY
The little boy came to his grandfather with a troubled look on his face. His grandfather could plainly see that something was weighing heavy on his grandson's mind. The little boy sat quietly down next to his grandfather, in the shade of a huge old Cottonwood Tree. The old man knew that sooner or later his grandson would tell him what was troubling him so. Finally the little boy spoke up, "Grandfather, there is something I do not understand and it troubles me greatly." "I can see that grandson, what is it that bothers you so?" The old man asked. " Grandfather, I see on the television and I hear people talking about this thing they call racism. How people hate each other because of the color of their skin and because they have differant customs and some differant languages. I do not understand this. Does it take so little for one to hate another? If so then why did the Creator not make us all the same? " " Did he not?" asked Grandfather. " Stand and walk with me grandson." The little boy did as he was asked and together Grandfather and Grandson slowly started to walk. After just a short distance Grandfather stopped with his grandson stopped by his side. Grandfather turned and looked back towards the giant old Cottonwood they had been sitting under. He pointed to it as he began to speak," Grandson, the Human Race is much like the branches of that old tree. Each branch heads off in it's own direction and no two are identicaly alike, but they all go back to the same origen do they not? If one is injured then the whole tree suffers. If one branch is cut then does it not bleed the same as the others?" Grandfather paused to let his words sink in, then he continued, "People today fail to remember that we are all related, that like the branches of that tree, we all derive from the same source. In the case of Human Beings that source is the Creator. He is the trunk of the tree and the various races of Human Beings are it's branches.Too many fail to heed the Creator's teachings that we are all related in his eyes. They let material things and their own desires cause them to forget. In many cases people hate those that are differant than they themselves because they do not understand their ways. What they do not understand they fear. Sometimes they hate because others have what they want, or they fear others will want what they have. Hate is a disease, that if left to grow, can easily kill the whole Tree of Life. So grandson, just remember this. You do not have to love your fellow man, nor must you hate him, but you should at least try to understand him. You are but one leaf, on one branch, of the Tree of Life and all leaves and branches are needed for the tree to flourish. Respect Mother Earth, respect your Elders, respect the Creator and respect your brothers and sisters in the eyes of the Creator. Do so and you can one day face the Creator with clean hands and heart knowing you helped the tree of life to flourish." .......so says Adanvdo Towodi Spirit Hawk ^i^
