THE GIFT
I must make moccasins for my feet.
Oh, Great Spirit,
guide my feet upon the
pathway of peace.
I must make a band for my head.
Oh, Great Spirit,
fill my thoughts
with your wisdom and purity.
I must make a pouch to wear near my heart.
Oh, Great Spirit,
let each symbol within
enfold my heart with kinship and love.
All must be made
of the covering
of my four-legged brother,
the deer.
Oh Great Spirit,
how can I enter this sacred ceremony,
when I must ask my brother
for his very life?
And so the ceremonial vision burns within my soul.
Yet, there will be no ceremony.
My footsteps followed a trail through a little traveled woods. The sun shone brightly through the canopy, and the floor was aromatic with the smell of rich earth. Then, just ahead the sight caused the waters of my spirit to freely flow out the windows of my soul. There lay a beautiful buck with a hunter’s careless bullet opening a wound through which his lifeblood was swiftly mingling with the earth. I approached and saw the end was near.
Then, something incredible happened.
With gentle eyes and a peaceful spirit, he looked at me and gave up his life. I touched his body and the most incredible feeling of peace permeated my being.
I understood.
The earth, the trees, the wind, the flowing stream, and the sun all shared in the ceremony. As I strive to walk the pathway of peace in wisdom and love, I carry the blessing and lesson of the gift from my four-legged brother.
I made moccasins, headband, and pouch for a special ceremony with a spiritual guide. I also made moccasins for her. I searched for leather and was led to a shop, where I remember not. It was there I found white leather with a hole in the hide. With it came the feeling described above. That night in a dream came the events described above. I still have the small pieces of leather that will be given sometime to the salamanders (fire beings) when the time is right. Thank you for the gift.