Random Thoughts

"God is the friend of silence. See how nature - trees, flowers, grass - grow in silence: see stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence ... We need silence to be able to touch souls." Mother Teresa Some of the unexpected delights of my trip to Oklahoma were the number of opportunities for silence. One of our main goals was to interact with the kids there. We all know kids are anything but quiet so I didn't really think about silence. At first I missed the music I had expected would accompany our journey - modern day praise songs, or old fashioned hymns. [Finally after not-so-patiently waiting and clicking the button about 6 times, this butterfly opened its wings and said, take your best shot.] After the first day, I heard music in the somber cooing of doves, creek water dancing over stones, a light breeze whistling through the tree leaves, and the sound of stillness as little girls fell asleep. Though I wasn't prepared for the holiness of early mornings ...

"There are a whole lot of historical factors that have played a part in our being where we are today, and I think that to even begin to understand our contemporary issues and contemporary problems, you have to understand a little bit about that history." Wilma Mankiller (First female chief of the Cherokee Nation) On our last afternoon at the Oaks, most of the Good Goers team climbed into a well-used old truck and headed down to the place where a concrete foundation had been laid at the beginning of the week. Near the edge of the creek, an earthen overhang sparkled with dancing reflections of the water, was the site where original Cherokee elders prayed. The foundation was the beginning of a worship center that would be built by other teams coming to the mission. Our task was to clear away brush and weeds and rocks. Within minutes of arriving at the spot the sound and smell of gasoline-powered weedwackers broke through the reverent silence. Each of us went at our own pace, ...

"You never know where a blessing can come from." Teena Marie On our 2nd full work day at the Oaks, there was a choice of three projects: to finish painting one of the dorm houses, to paint picnic tables or to organize the house that serves as a clothes closet for the mission. Okay, it's not really a whole house, more like a large shed. And "organize" might be too big a word for unpacking, sorting, and sizing about a kazillion pairs of underpants and socks. When it comes to "organizing" however, my Sweetie considers himself a world champion. I would say that I run a pretty close second but some of you may question the veracity of that statement because of the stories you've read about my propensity for clutter. While the rest of the Good Goers team grabbed paint brushes, Sweetie and I sequestered ourselves across the campus. The closet is full of donated items from bedding, to jackets, to shoes, to towels, to jeans and backpacks. And did I mention ...

"One's destination is never a place but a new way of seeing things." Henry Miller The forced replacement of Cherokee Indians from Georgia to Oklahoma was aptly named The Trail of Tears. Not just for those who made the trek, but also for those hearts that break a hundred years later upon hearing the story. In my opinion there is no better place to live than the US of A. That said it doesn't take away some of the black spots in the history of our great country. It is estimated that over 4000 of the 15000 Cherokee who were transplanted to what was called Indian Territory (in the present day state of Oklahoma) died on the march. Standing on/near the spot where so many Native American people ended their tearful journey made me weep with shame. "I fought through the War Between the States and have seen many men shot, but the Cherokee Removal was the cruelest work I ever knew." ~ Georgia soldier who participated in the removal On Wednesday (Oc...