Smoke Signals

  Written By

Pale Horse

This page is my effort to share meaningful lessons that I have learned within my life time.  Many of the lessons are simple in nature but frequently overlooked.  Others may be more complex.  Wisdom and knowledge are within our grasp, all we have to do is reach out and embrace it.  God uses nature to teach us many of these lessons.  I wish to share what he has shown me.   I hope you can benefit from these.

The Ant

One day I was driving down an interstate and the traffic was heavy.  Car, trucks, and motorcycles were scurrying in all directions.  Once again the thought came to me, that we all leave on this "one" earth yet we all live in many different worlds.  Unity isn't one of human race's strongest traits. Everybody is doing their own thing in their own little world.  It was at that moment that I heard a small still voice within me say, "Remember the Ant, consider her ways and be wise".

It was like walls fell and blinders were removed.  It was at this moment able to see more clearly and understand a lesson that I had been taught when I was but a youth.    Have you ever looked down on a town or section of land from on high.  We do look like little ants scurrying around.  Even though we may look like them we lack one major characteristic, unity and being of a single mind.  Picture in your mind an ant scurrying around on a picnic table.  It's looking for food, but not for itself but for its colony.  When he finds that morsel of food it will take it back and store it with all the other food that has been collected.  The ant doesn't function as an individual, but as a member of a whole body being centered and motivated by its leader, The Queen.  If we could be more like the ant, we could achieve a greatness that has yet to be seen.  As it has been said, " A house that is divided cannot stand".  We need to strive to put aside our petty differences and start working  together as a whole. Otherwise our future will be short and bleak.  I know some would say look at all we have done and how far we have come in the last 100 years.  My reply is, "This isn't nothing compare to what it should have been".  We need to look at one of nature's smallest creatures and  learn a simple lesson, the lesson of the ant.

Life Is A Vapor

Life is but a vapor, it appears for a little time and then it vanishes away. 

A lesson, that is still in the learning process, is what we are going to share today.  In the profession that I am in, I see life in its last stages.   Death is something that I deal with every day.  I guess it's due to this exposure that has made me greatly aware of how fragile life really is.  It is my belief that the majority of people, who walk amongst us, do not think about dying or death.  They are to busy living to think about dying.  This is what I'm debating about, whether this is a good thing or a complete act of negligence on their behalf.   When should we start thinking about this last act of Life, death?

It is a fact that dwelling on dying and death will rob you of Living .   Yet, ignoring its role in ones life will rob you of a prosperous and fulfilling life also.  There is a place and time to focus on our mortality, but when, is the question.  There is a fine line between Life and Death.  The old saying that death is only a heart beat away, is old as dirt but yet a reality.  I have been with individuals during this crossing.  I have felt their last heart beat, seen them take their last breath.  I have met and cared for people who would be talking with me and then in a few hours, have departed this existence.  Do people realize that something as small as a pinhead, known as a embolism, can find its way to your heart or brain, block an artery and the next thing you know your life is gone.  We make the mistake of thinking that it takes something dramatic or huge to cause our demise, but it doesn't.

The lesson is this, Life is precious and no one knows how long we have.   We must not dwell on dying or death, but we need to realize that it is a part of living and we need to make preparations for it.  Afterwards we need to LIVE and make full use of what time we have.  By realizing and preparing for Life's finally act, only then can we fully appreciate what we have, and make full use of the Present.

Why Me ?

In life we go through many hardships, emotional, physical, and financial.  It is during these times that I begin asking the question, "why me ?"  It was during such a time that I sought the answer to this question, from the only person who actually knew why.  This was His reply . . .

During these times of trials and hardships I was instructed to rejoice. These 'Trials' produced a growing  process which developed 'Patients'. Through the development of 'Patients', 'Experience' was obtained.  As a result of obtaining Experience, Hope was created. 

At first it was all mixed up, then I broke it down and seen the Beauty of it.  This cycle of learning explained why we sometimes experience Life's unpleasantness. It also was evidence that what occurs in our lives is more than an act of fate. We are not alone, we have purpose and there is a divine plan for each one of us. We are not alone, we simply do not exist, we are the handiwork of someone much greater than ourselves.

The Clay Pot

After being shown why we experience a variety of Life's experiences, another question still stirred within me.  This one was cousin to the first and sounded the same, Why me ?  We all wonder occasionally why  this or that happen to me, and not to someone else.  Another issue also surfaced regarding  to certain individuals being unique.  When we decide to follow a particular religious path, we begin separating ourselves from the rest of Humanity.  We make the mistake of thinking that we have become immune to the hardships or trials of life that others go through.  This is grave mistake to make. When it rains, does it not rain on all of us, regardless of our beliefs.  God sends the rain on the just and on the unjust.   The Sun rises on the good as well as the evil.  We are not immune to the effects, but it is how we handle and view these effects that makes us different.

So we have established that we are all acceptable to what Life throws at us, but the question still remains, Why me ?  This parable (small story form lesson) may provide you with an answer or at least a new perspective towards this issue.    An artist sits at a table, spinning before him  is a raw piece of clay.   Without form, he will soon place his hands upon it and begin molding into a work of art.  What the finish product will look like is uncertain.   After spending a great deal of time with the clay, his work will be finished. The idea presented here is, shall the thing formed say unto the one who formed it, Why have you made me as such.   Does not the artist (the potter) have power over the clay, is it not within his power to create it as he wills ?

It is my belief that too many times we are to busy asking why, instead of saying " I am what I am". Instead of wasting time on self pity or complaining about our circumstances, we need to approach our situation with the intent to find meaning and purpose, then progress forward.  This may sound like a hard statement, but when you ask yourself "Why Me ?", the answer may simply be "Why Not."   Next time something happens, try taking it in and then deal with it. You may be surprised how well you do.

     Koshb5@infinet.com                                                     Medicine Lodge