Bird Droppings May 25, 2017 A happy death in a world of sadness   I have been teaching high school now for nearly sixteen years and only missed one graduation. In 2014 I missed the graduation ceremony and celebration of sorts. Health issues kept me away. Tomorrow will be my last official graduation ceremony at…

Bird Droppings May 17, 2017 Acceptance is often getting over fears   As I stepped outside into a beautiful clear chilled morning, we were hoping for rain but the humidity still hung in the air. The grass was like walking on a sponge soggy and wet but then again it could be from my wife…

Bird Droppings May 16, 2017 Try and see through eyes wide open   As I walked out into the morning sounds today a whippoorwill greeted me. It was the first I have heard this year. The air is warming and summer sounds are creeping in. I like the sounds of the night. Crickets, tree frogs,…

Bird Droppings May 15, 2017 Filling cracks in leaky pots   Many thousands of years ago Buddha compared people to four kinds of clay vessels. Borrowing these words today as I am thinking to several days lost traveling to see a new grand baby, from my normal routine of writing and doing things. A couple…

Bird Droppings May 12, 2017 Teaching can be successful So as I do on many mornings when I get the time I walked out to a quiet corner of my back yard. Nestled in a patch of weeds and brush I laid claim to my quiet spot and look toward the east in the morning.…

Bird Droppings May 11, 2017 Culture is far more than just a word   “Silence was meaningful with the Lakota, and granting a space of silence before talking was done in the practice of true politeness and regardful of the rule that thought comes before speech. In the midst of sorrow, sickness, death or misfortune…

Bird Droppings May 13, 2016 Why should I do more?   “Choices are sacred to life’s journey. They lie along the path that all of us must follow for ourselves. An important Cherokee lesson is that if you involve yourself in any decision, you also experience the consequences of that decision.” Dr. J.T. Garrett, Meditations…

Bird Droppings May 9, 2017 Can we be about healing?   “People cannot know how sacred power, or medicine truly works, but almost every Native American knows something of its ways. Often seen as a mysterious force that is fluid, transmissible and important malleable, sacred power can be manipulated by those who possess it –…

Bird Droppings May 8, 2017 Can we discuss curriculum as sacred?   My wife and I are talking about taking a day hiatus to explore the North Georgia Mountains with no schedule and little baggage.  We will head north on a Saturday morning no plans. Thinking back to our last crazy trip our last journey…

Bird Droppings April 21, 2017 Can we find truth in an untruthful world?   I went back to a book again for the third or fourth time, a book titled; Every day is a good day: Reflections by Contemporary Indigenous women, by the late Wilma Mankiller. Mankiller was the past Chief of The Cherokee Nation…