Easy Does It

Can you believe I have less than 2 weeks in Cookson, Oklahoma?? That is such an insane thought. Leaving will definitely be a bittersweet event. While I'm ready to see all the other interns and go back to school, I am really going to miss all the people at Cookson. I will definitely have to come back someday to see the new building they are hoping to build! They're raising money for it right now, and it's $600,000 if anyone's interested in donating...just an fyi : )

My parents will be here tomorrow! That's right: TOMORROW! I'm so excited!

I went to a Stomp Dance Saturday night! The stomp grounds I went to had a fire that's been burning since the Trail of Tears. I think the story is that the Chief of the Cherokee Tribe gave each of the seven clans a piece of coal to take with them as they went to Oklahoma before the Trail of Tears. The chief doubted that all seven clans would make it, but they did. So the fire that I saw burning still has some of the embers from those original coal pieces still in it it.

I think all of the songs that were sung at this Stomp Dance were about the Trail of Tears. The women who "stomped", essentially shuffling feet at various paces around the fire, wore turtle shells with rocks in them strapped around their calves. I would have loved to take pictures of everything, but I was told to leave my camera and everything at home. So, I didn't even chance bringing it.

The stomp dance lasts all through the night until the next morning! I can't imagine dancing like that the entire night long. Those turtle shells get really heavy...especially if you have 10 or so strapped to each leg!

Before the stomp dance, Anna and I hung out at Meri's house. Elsie showed us her trumpet playing skills:


She's plays so well. She majored in music in college. After college she got a spot in a really prestigious band and she traveled all over Europe. So yes...she's that good.

We had church at Tenkiller Lake on Sunday. Debbie's puppy made it to the children's message:


The puppy finally has a name: Job--like the Book of Job in the Bible. He may have a home too! I think Debbie's sister is going to try to take him!

He was exhausted after church:


Cookson Hills Center currently has goats eating our grass:



Cookson Hills Center has a Cottage Industries Programs:


We can embroider things...


...with almost any color:


We also silk screen print:




So, if you need to get any t-shirts made, then call Cookson!

Anna and I spent Friday exploring the Spiro Mounds:


While a person (kind of like myself haha) may just see the mounds as small hills and piles of dirt...



...I guess they're kind of interesting. Back in the day, Native Americans would burn down a leaders house once he died and then rebuild a new house on top of it...at least that's what I took from all things I read while I was there.

It was really, really hot outside though...definitely in the high 90s. Anna and I walked around the entire Archaeological Park!



Needless to say, we were drenched in sweat and extremely tired when we finished exploring!

We saw deer tracks:


And we saw pretty flowers:


So I get a "Daily Meditation" in my e-mail every morning from the Henri Nouwen Society.

While they are all excellent thoughts written by Henri Nouwen, I really liked today's:

"To become neighbors is to bridge the gap between people. As long as there is distance between us and we cannot look in each other's eyes, all sort of false ideas and images arise. We give them names, make jokes about them, cover them with our prejudices, and avoid direct contact. We think of them as enemies. We forget that they love as we love, care for their children as we care for ours, become sick and die as we do. We forget that they are our brothers and sisters and treat them as objects that can be destroyed at will.

Only when we have the courage to cross the street and look in one another's eyes can we see there that we are children of the same God and members of the same human family."

That's all for now!

Hasta Luego,

Meredith