After the Storm

And a Happy Sunday afternoon to all.  Happy Mother's Day to all who celebrate today.  When I read through the blogs I follow and saw several wishing a "Happy Mother's Day" I had to run to the calendar to check it out.  Did I miss something...or, should I say, did my son's miss something?  But, no, they're off the hook.  We have a couple months to go.

Well, the storm is pretty much over, and it sure was a doozy.  They're saying at some points we hit winds of over 70 miles an hour.  Many beautiful trees were down, including an 80 year old Oak out on Staten Island that was pulled out of the ground from it's roots, and many today are without power.  I'm blessed that my tree is still standing...and my power on.  And, my family all made it home safely. 

Tomorrow is the dark moon, and if you don't mind too much, I'd love to share a favorite Cherokee tale about the Sun and the Moon, the Moon's waning, and its darkness. Hope you all enjoy it as much as I did. 

SUN AND MOON

There was a young man who was called Sun; he lived in the East. And in the distant West, there lived a young woman called Moon.  Now, Sun was special and he was revered by all ; he who is the Creator's young apprentice and  a fearless traveler who walked the sky in search of a magic lake that was said to have great healing powers.  The legend said that when the Creator shaped the world, the Great One became so moved at its beauty that tears began to flow...tears which formed a magic lake, a sacred place of healing and comfort for those in need.  It was said that those who sought out the waters of this magical lake and gazed upon their own reflection on its surface would receive their  vision and come into the Medicine.

Now, it just so happens that ever since he was a young man, Sun had intended to become a Medicine Man;  he dreamed of offering himself as a helper to those in need.  He knew that in order to be a part of Medicine, he had to walk in harmony and balance.  But, Sun was a young man, and as such, he was curious...so, he often wandered the sky appreciating all the beautiful thins ehre were to see.  Sometimes he got so caught up in things, he actually forgot his purpose.  He was just so happy to be alive that during the day he would walk on the wind and at night, he spent time in his medicine lodge.  There was just so much beauty in this journey of life and so much to learn.

Moon was a beautiful young woman who appeared to glow in the dim light of the West, becoming brighter as the darkness increased.  Everyone respected her for she was kind, gentle, and compassionate.  She moved through the sky calmly and peacefully, always offering her comforting presence to those around her.  But, she was also very shy. Moon was in love with Sun and secretly wished to be with him.  She would admire him from a distance, but whenever he was around.  And Sun never really paid much attention to her.  He was always too busy searching for his Medicine to notice this quiet and unassuming young woman who loved him so much.

It just so happened that Sun had a lover who would come to him every month at the dark time of the moon...and since this darkness was supposed to be a sacred time for prayer and reflection, the two lovers always met in secrecy.  Sun never saw his lover's face, and she never told him her name.  She came to him during the night and before daybreak, she would be gone.  Sun would get very excited each month when he knew they would soon be together, and before he realized what had happened, he had falled deeply in love with this mysterious woman who made him feel like no one else could.  

Eventually, though, curiousity got the best of him, and he devised a plan to find out his secret lover's identity.  So, when the time came again, Sun sat quietly in prayer in the sacred darkness, and his secret lover came to him as she always did. Then, as they were sitting together, Sun reached into the ashes of the fire pit and rubbed some of the blackness onto her face...without her knowing it.  The evening passed by quickly and before long, she once again slipped quietly away.  

The next night, Sun watched intently from his hiding place behind the horizon,searching the sky for some sign of the one he loved.  And then Moon came up in the sky, and her face was covered with ashy spots.  Sun realized now that she was his secret lover and jumped out from his hiding spot.  Moon knew that she had been caught; she was so embarrassed that she went as far away from the Sun as she could and stayed on the other side of the sky all nght. 

And ever since that time, Moon always tries to stay a long way behind Sun.  And when she sometimes has to come close to him, she makes herself as thin as a ribbon so that she can be hardly seen.  Yet, out of her deep love for Sun...and in remembrance of the time when he touched her face, she has never wiped away the ashy spots that he left upon her glowing face.  And, if you look close enough, you can still see them. 

And so, each day Sun continues to search for his lover, and Moon remains on the other side of the horizon.  And all is well.  The world remains in harmony and balance.  And no matter what happens to us in our lifetime, we always have room for love for in loving others and in being loved, we are reminded that people are the important elements of our lives.  Love balances our lives and helps us to keep sight of our values and priorities.