Indian Names

Ye say they all have passed away,

That noble race and brave;

That their light canoes have vanished

From off the crested wave;

That mid the forests where they roamed,

There rings no hunter's shout:

But their name is on your waters-

Ye may not wash it out.

American Indian

NC Wyeth

'Tis where Ontario's billow

Like Ocean's surge is curled;

Where strong Niagara's thunders wake

The echo of the world;

Where red Missouri bringeth

Rich tribute from the west;

And Rappahannock sweetly sleeps

On green Virginia's breast.

Ye say that conelike cabins,

That clustered o'er the vale,

Have disappeared as withered leaves

Before the autumn's gale:

But their memory liveth on your hills,

Their baptism on your shore,

Your everlasting rivers speak

Their dialect of yore.

Cherokee Town

Picture courtesy of the

 Museum of the Cherokee

Walhalla, South Carolina

Old Massachusetts wears it

Within her lordly crown,

And broad Ohio bears it

Amid his young renown;

Connecticut has wreathed it

Where her quiet foliage waves.

And bold Kentucky breathes it hoarse

Through all her ancient caves.

Wachusett hides its lingering voice

Within its rocky heart,

And Allegheny graves its tone

Throughout his lofty chart.

Monadnock, on his forehead hoar,

Doth seal the sacred trust:

Your mountains build their monument,

Though ye destroy their dust.

Mount Wachusett, New Hampshire

Ancestral home of the Nipmuc Indian tribe.

"Indian Names"

Lydia H. Sigourney

American poet

(1791-1865)

Known as the

 "Sweet Singer of Hartford"

Remembering The Trail Of Tears

180 years have passed since the infamous "Trail of Tears"

when the government of the United States of America forcibly

removed members of what was then called, "the five civilized

tribes" -Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole-

 from their ancestral homelands in the Southeast U.S. to 

exile in Indian Territory (present day Oklahoma).

Nightfall On The Trail Of Tears

Max  D. Standley

This week, a group of ten cyclists from the Cherokee Nation in Tahlequah,

Oklahoma will begin their journey to "Remember The Removal" by retracing

the footsteps of their ancestors on the Northern Trail of Tears. 

The three week, 950-mile journey will take the cyclists from

Oklahoma to Cherokee, North Carolina  where they will meet up with 

 another group of cyclists representing the Eastern Band of the Cherokee.

Both groups will then depart for New Echota, Georgia- once the capital

of the Cherokee Nation-and from there travel through several states,

visiting museums and graveyards and other memorial sites 

connected to the Trail of Tears before returning back to

Tahlequah on June 21st.

I think this bike ride will not only be a strenuous challenge to

the participants, but, makes a powerful statement of the importance

of remembering America's past.  Much of our history as a nation

has been filled with violence and tragedy, especially in regards to

the often brutal and inhumane treatment of the American Indians.

The argument I often hear is that there was "cruelty on both sides

of the conflict" between the Indians and the ever increasing advance of 

 white settlers on the land, and while I am not disputing this, 

I am more than convinced, as in the case of slavery,  that

 the idea of forcibly removing tribes like the Cherokee from their

ancestral homeland, was never in the plans of God for America.

I have Cherokee ancestry and it has long been a dream of mine

to walk the original Trail of Tears someday to honor my heritage.

May God bless and keep safe these cyclists on their journey. 

Original Homelands Of The Five Civilized Tribes

The Flower Of Liberty

Remembering  traditional Decoration Day

historically observed on May 30th.

Red, White, and Blue Petunias
Picture courtesy/ Good Earth Plants

What flower is this that greets the morn,

Its hues from Heaven so freshly born?

With burning star and flaming band

It kindles all the sunset land;

O tell us what its' name may be-

Is this the Flower of Liberty?

It is the banner of the free,

This starry Flower of Liberty.

In savage nature's far abode

Its tender seed our fathers sowed;

The storm-winds rocked its swelling bud;

Its opening leaves were streaked with blood,

Till lo! earth's tyrants shook to see

The full-blown Flower of Liberty!

Then hail the banner of the free,

The starry Flower of Liberty.

Behold its streaming rays unite,

One mingling flood of braided light-

The red that fires the southern rose,

With spotless white from northern shows,

And, spangled o'er its azure, see,

The sister Stars of Liberty!

The blades of heroes fence it round;

Where'er it springs is holy ground;

From tower and dome its glories spread;

It waves where lonely sentries tread;

It makes the land as ocean free,

And plants an empire on the sea!

Then hail the banner of the free,

The starry Flower of Liberty.

Thy sacred leaves, fair Freedom's flower,

Shall ever float on dome and tower,

To all their heavenly colors true,

In blackening frost or crimson dew-

And God love us as we love thee,

Thrice holy Flower of Liberty!

Then hail the banner of the free,

The starry Flower of Liberty.

"The Flower Of Liberty"

Oliver Wendell Holmes

(1841-1935)

Mid-Week Meditation

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue,

and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it,

for death or life."

Proverbs 18:21

Jesus Himself admonished his listeners:

"For by your words you will be justified and acquitted,

and by your words you will be condemned and sentenced."

Matthew 12:37

"Before we pass on something we have heard someone else

say, we should first ask ourselves, "Is it true or is it kind?"

If the answer is no, then it is better for us not to

 repeat what we've heard."

-Attributed to Abigail "Dear Abby" Van Buren

The recent "tweet" by comedian Roseanne Barr which

caused ABC to cancel the re-boot of her television show

can in no way be linked to her support for President Trump,

no matter how much the mainstream media wants to see a 

 connection in order to justify their continuous, despicable campaign

to brand him as a white supremacist and a racist.

Although what she did is indefensible,  Roseanne Barr 

 apologized for her remark about former Obama White House

adviser Valerie Jarrett.  However, I seem to recall reading

"tweets" and "postings" as well as hearing remarks made
while on-the-air from media pundits and other celebrities

  about President Trump and his family that were not only false,

 but, absolutely disgusting, and yet, the media ignored what was
said, or made some kind of lame excuse for the vindictive and
 nasty commentary.  They still do.  Furthermore, at last report, both
Joy Behar and Jimmy Kimmel, two of the worst critics of
Donald Trump and the Trump family, are still employed by ABC.

I believe the real reason why Roseanne Barr was given the ax
by the network was due to the fact that she is a very vocal supporter of
President Donald Trump, and therefore considered an anomaly both
 in Hollywood and with the political Left.  

Freedom of speech is one of the greatest freedoms we

have as Americans and should never be abused, nor should

the abuse of this precious freedom be tolerated or condoned

by anyone, regardless of race, religion, social status, or politics.

A LITTLE WISDOM FROM THE WORD

GOES A LONG WAY.

PSALM 15

A Psalm of David

Lord, Who shall dwell in Your tabernacle?

Who shall dwell on Your holy hill?

He who walks and lives uprightly and blamelessly,

who works rightness and justice and speaks and thinks

the truth in his heart.

He who does not slander with his tongue, nor does

evil to his friend, nor takes up reproach against his neighbor.

In whose eyes a vile person is despised, but he who honors

those who fear the Lord, who revere and worship Him;

who swears to his own hurt and does not change;

He Who does not put out his money for interest,

to one of his own people, and who will not take a

bribe against the innocent. He who does these things

shall never be moved.

Full Moon Tonight

May's full moon is called the Full Flower Moon due to the abundance of flowers

bursting into bloom at this time of the year.

In the Cherokee language, May's full moon is called Anisguti,

 or the Planting Moon, a time to prepare the soil and plant seeds saved

 from last season.  Crops like corn, beans, squash, potatoes, watermelon,

tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and sunflowers are sown at this time.

 A traditional Corn Dance is also held during the time of the Planting Moon.

Nature's Treats

By Virginia Stroud

Cherokee-Muscogee-Creek artist

A Monument For The Soldiers

Korean War Veteran's Memorial

Washington DC

A monument for the Soldiers!

And what will ye build of it?

Can ye build it of marble, or brass, or bronze,

Outlasting the Soldier's love?

Can ye glorify it with legends

As grand as their blood hath writ

From the inmost shrine of this land of thine

To the outermost verge of it?

And the answer came: We would build it

Out of our hopes made sure,

And out of our purest prayers and tears,

And out of our faith secure:

We would build it out of the great white truths

Their death hath sanctified,

And the sculptured forms of the men in arms,

And their faces ere they died.

Vietnam Women's Memorial Statue

Vietnam Veteran's War Memorial

Washington DC

And what heroic figures

Can the sculptor carve in stone?

Can the marble breast be made to bleed,

And the marble lips to moan?

Can the marble brow be fevered?

And the marble eyes be graved

To look their last, as the flag floats past,

On the country they have saved?

And the answer came: The figures

Shall all be fair and brave,

And, as befitting, as pure and white

As the stars above their grave!

The marble lips, and breast, and brow

Whereon the laurel lies,

Bequeath us right to guard the flight

Of the old flag in the skies!

New Jersey Vietnam Veterans War Memorial
Holmdel, New Jersey

A monument to the Soldiers!

Built of a people's love,

And blazoned and decked and panoplied

With the hearts ye build it of!

And see that ye build it stately,

In pillar and niche and gate,

And high in pose as the souls of those

It would commemorate!

Korean War Veterans Memorial
Atlantic City, New Jersey

A Monument For The Soldiers

James Whitcomb Riley

(1849-1916)

American writer and poet

The Deeds They Wrought Were Not In Vain

These hearts were woven of human joys and cares,

Washed marvellously with sorrow, swift to mirth.

The years had given them kindness. Dawn was theirs,

And sunset, and the colors of the earth.

The grave site of Jonas Cattell

Revolutionary War Hero

Cattell Family Burial Ground

Deptford, New Jersey

These had seen movement, and heard music; known
Slumber and waking; loved; gone proudly friended;
Felt the quick air of wonder; sat alone;
Touched flowers and furs and cheeks. All this ended.

A memorial to the American patriots of  the community of Greenwich,

Cumberland County, New Jersey, who, years before the start of the

 Revolutionary War, threw their own "tea party" by stealing and 

burning a shipment of British tea headed for Philadelphia.

The monument to commemorate their daring and courageous

defiance in the face of tyranny was erected in 1908 by members of

the Cumberland County Historical Society.

There are waters blown by changing winds to laughter
And lit by the rich skies, all day. And after,
Frost, with a gesture, stays the waves that dance
And wandering loveliness. He leaves a white
Unbroken glory, a gathered radiance,
A width, a shining peace, under the night.


"The Dead"
Rupert Brooke
(1887-1915)

English poet known for his
sonnets about war

In Memoriam

"No one has greater love than to lay down

his own life for his friends."

John 15:13

The origins of what is now observed as Memorial Day

in the United States of America began in the post-Civil War South

when ladies in Columbus, Georgia placed flower arrangements on

the graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers buried in

the city's cemetery.  This observance was later called

Decoration Day and in the years to follow, became a

special observance in many communities across America.

 In 1968,  Congress passed the Uniform Monday Act.

This legislation, which went into effect in 1971, 

officially moved this commemoration to be

observed on the last Monday in May, thus

creating a three day extended weekend.

Daisies gathered for Decoration Day

May 30, 1899

Today Memorial Day weekend is often called,

" the unofficial start of summer"  with many people

heading for the beach, or attending a parade or  

 celebrating with backyard barbecues.  

 I think all the commercialized hype on display in

raucous parades with stores and car dealerships

 promoting their "holiday weekend super sales" 

 should be held off at least until the 4th of July.

Memorial Day should be a time of more solemn reflection,

to remember those American men and women who

gave their lives for my freedom.

ODE FOR DECORATION DAY

Sleep sweetly in your humbled graves,

Sleep, martyrs of a fallen cause;

Though yet no marble column craves

The pilgrim here to pause.

In seeds of laurel to the earth

The blossom of your fame is blown,

And somewhere, waiting for its birth,

The shaft is in the stone!

Meanwhile, behalf the tardy years

Which keep in trust your storied tombs,

Behold! your sisters bring their tears,

And these memorial blooms.

Small tributes! but your shades will smile

More proudly on these wreaths to-day

Than when some cannon-moulded pile

Shall overlook this bay.

Stoop, angels, hither from the skies!

There is no holier spot of ground

Than where defeated valor lies,

By mourning beauty crowned!

Graves of Union and Confederate Soldiers
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

"Ode For Decoration Day"

Henry Timrod

(1829-1867)

Poet Laureate for the Confederacy

His poem was first sung during Decoration Day 1866

at the Magnolia Cemetery Charleston, South Carolina

Fourth Sunday Meditation: A Friend So Faithful

"For we have become fellows with Christ (the Messiah)

and share in all He has for us, if only we hold our first newborn

confidence and original assured expectation in virtue of which

we are believers, firm and unshaken to the end."

Hebrews 3:14

Lost No More

Greg Olson

What a friend we have in Jesus,

All our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry

Everything to God in prayer!

O what peace we often forfeit,

O what needless pain we bear,

All because we do not carry

Everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations?

Is there trouble anywhere?

We should never be discouraged;

Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Can we find a friend so faithful

Who will all our sorrows share?

Jesus knows our every weakness;

Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden,

Cumbered with a load of care?

Precious Savior, still our refuge,

Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Do your friends despise, forsake you?

Take it to the Lord in prayer!

In His arms He'll take and shield you;

You will find a solace there.

Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised

Thou wilt all our burdens bear

May we ever, Lord, be bringing

All to Thee in earnest prayer.

Soon in glory bright unclouded

There will be no need for prayer

Rapture, praise and endless worship

Will be our sweet portion there.

This beautiful  hymn was originally written by the

 Irish poet Joseph Medlicott Scriven, and was based

on his poem, "Pray Without Ceasing" which he wrote to

his ailing mother, whom he left behind in Ireland after

migrating to Canada in 1845. 

The poem, which was anonymously submitted

for publication, was later set to music by Charles Crozat Converse,

who renamed it  as "What A Friend We Have In Jesus".

Although it took thirty years for Scrivens to receive full credit for his work, 

 he had no idea at the time that the poem he wrote to comfort his sick mother

 would later become a classic Christian hymn, translated into many languages,

and beloved of believers around the world.

"What A Friend We Have In Jesus"

(1855)

 Joseph Medlicott Scriven

(1819-1886)

Music composed in 1868

  Charles C. Converse

(1834-1918)