Hello everyone,
Thank you for all of your support and kind words. These last few days have been incredibly rough.
I wrote my dad's obituary. He and I were reading books about Tecumseh and Blue Jacket last summer and we would call each other and have these deep discussions about it. My dad thought very highly of Tecumseh and I had found a quote by him several months back regarding his philosophy on life and death and I included it in the obituary because these are the same philosophies my dad taught me my entire life. Anyway, Debi had asked me to tell her about my dad. Instead, I would like to put the quote here for you because it pretty much sums him up:
"Live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble noone about his religion. Respect others in their views and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and in service of your people. Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide. Always give a word or sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, or even a stranger, if in a lonely place. Show respect to all people, but grovel to none. When you rise in the morning, give thanks for the light, for your life, for your strength. Give thanks for your food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason to give thanks, the fault lies in yourself. Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones into fools and robs the spirit of its vision. When your time comes to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so that when their times comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song, and die like a hero going home." -Tecumseh
I wanted to share that with you because it is a good way to live. It is what my father taught me and I wanted to pass it on.
Thank you again for all the cyber hugs - your support means more to me than I can express.
