We gather our minds to greet and thank the enlightened
Teachers who have come to help throughout the ages. When
we forget how to live in harmony, they remind us of the way we
were instructed to live as people. With one mind, we send
greetings and thanks to these caring Teachers. Now our minds
are one.While there is a clear structure and progression to the oratory, it
is usually not recited verbatim or exactly the same by different
speakers. Some renditions are low murmurs, barely discernible.
Some are nearly songs. I love to hear elder Tom Porter hold a
circle of listeners in the bowl of his hand. He lights up every face
and no matter how long the delivery, you wish it was longer.
Tommy says, “Let us pile up our thanks like a heap of flowers on a
blanket. We will each take a corner and toss it high into the sky.
And so our thanks should be as rich as the gifts of the world that
shower down upon us,” and we stand there together, grateful in the
rain of blessings.
We now turn our thoughts to the Creator, or Great Spirit, and
send greetings and thanks for all the gifts of Creation.
Everything we need to live a good life is here on Mother Earth.
For all the love that is still around us, we gather our minds
together as one and send our choicest words of greetings and
thanks to the Creator. Now our minds are one.The words are simple, but in the art of their joining, they become
a statement of sovereignty, a political structure, a Bill of
Responsibilities, an educational model, a family tree, and a
scientific inventory of ecosystem services. It is a powerful political