Rivers, like veins, must be kept moving Keep moving, working to maintain strong, healthy bodies

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I have spoken

Some years ago I used to visit one of our Elders. This Elder was a chief. He had a lot of foresight and wisdom. At one of these visits he told me something that I now remember and try to live by.

The old man told me about how Mother Earth was like a person. He said that the rivers that flow on Mother Earth are like the veins on our body. They do the same work. These veins have to keep flowing at a regular pace and they also have to be clean.

The rivers that we have do all kinds of work. They feed the fish, keep fresh, and do countless things to keep us and Mother Earth alive. He said that if you look at your arm or leg you will see these rivers flowing.

We now have dirty polluted rivers. As a result of the unclean water, Mother Earth is bound to be getting sick. When she is sick the people will also become sick. You don't have to look very far to see sick people these days. They are sick physically, mentally and spiritually. It should not take a very smart person to see that.

This brings me to our physical condition. We have to keep our blood flowing just like the rivers. The veins have to be kept clean. There is a purpose for the rivers to flood once in a while. I believe that a flood flushes out the river. Then it will return to its natural flowing. This is like a rush of blood when you are sitting or moving fast. The rush of blood will clean out your veins. That is why we have to be active most of the time.

If you look at our animals, you will see that they are always active. They have to hunt so they are on the move when they are not resting.

We have to keep our bodies moving. Nature with all of its creation, shows me that I have to move my body. Just about anything that moves is always doing something. I suppose I could say that I was taught to always work for my living and to keep healthy.

I hear of people complaining about their children who are suffering from obesity. Parents should not expect their children to be in good physical condition when all they do is sit and watch TV. These children are not going to develop a good strong body if they never move.

If the blood is not flowing, there will be many problems, in my opinion. Our blood also has to clear our brains. If we lay around, we are not going to think as clearly as we should.

I used to wonder why we have mountains. Then one day, as I was driving through them, I suddenly realized why they were there. They are there to regulate the water.

If we did not have these high mountains, we would not know cold water in the summertime. The water is handled in such a way that all of nature would benefit.

Now the timber is being cut from these mountain sides. This will not have a very good effect on the regulation of our water. Disturbing these mountainsides will also affect the fish and other wildlife.

I find that there is a reason for everything that is on Mother Earth. There are a lot of things here that I don't quite understand. I can accept that because only our Creator knows everything.

I have spoken.