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| Smiles Alot and The Squirrel Family by � smileybear67 It was springtime on the Great Mother Earth and Smiles Alot was interested in more than her teachings and chores. "Smiles Alot?" Mother Silent Tongue noticed that she wasn't paying attention. "I'm sorry Mother, but the birds are chirping, the flowers are starting to come up, everything is looking so pretty again!" Smiles Alot could hardly contain her excitement. Mother Silent Tongue knew this and waved her on. "Oh Thank you Mother! I promise I will work harder tomorrow! Thank you!" Smiles Alot hugged her Mother and kissed her on the cheek. As she ran towards the forest she wondered if she might run into her friends. "Oh Mother Earth is so beautiful this time of year!" She stopped to look at a patch of flowers coming up in the clearing of the forest. Smiles Alot loved to be in the forest. She felt closer to the Creator there. She enjoyed every creation the Creator made. "Look at all the different colors you have created. And all the different shapes! Grandmother Speaks Softly was right, you have created everything the same, but yet different. I think I'm starting to understand what she meant. Everything is a part of lifes web and when one thing is destroyed it affects everything else. For if I would take all the flowers, the small winged creatures would have no food. And if I take several trees the loarger winged creatures would not have a place to build their homes. Oh thank you Creator, thank you!" Smiles Alot always talked to the Creator, for she knew that he could always see her and hear her. She always wanted to please the Creator and make the Creator happy so she would receive blessings from him. Just then Smiles Alot heard something in the tree above her. As she looked up she noticed two small squirrels chasing each other around the tree. She smiled. "Smiles Alot." She jumped as the Mother Squirrel startled her. "Oh Mother Squirrel I'm sorry I didn't know you were here." "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I was listening to you as you talked to the Creator. You have been taught well Smiles Alot. Not many can see all of what the Creator has created." Just then a small squeak came from inside a hole just above Smiles Alot. She looked up as Mother Squirrel spoke. "That is my young one, he's very sick." "Oh Mother Squirrel I'm so very sorry. What is wrong with him?" "I'm not sure. He's smaller than the others and weaker. I have a hard time bringing water and food for him. He should be out running and playing and gathering his own food now. It's just getting harder to take care of him." "Let me help Mother Squirrel. I can bring him all the water and food he needs. Please allow me to help?" "Well..." She started up the tree, stopped and turned to Smiles Alot. "I would be more than happy for you to help. Just remember that whatever happens is what the Creator planned." "Oh I know. I will be back quickly." At that Smiles Alot ran towards the stream. "Hmmmm. Now what can I carry the water in?" Just then she seen an empty snails shell. She swished it around in the water to clean it out. Then dipped it back in the water and filled it as full as she could. As Smiles Alot was walking back she gathered some berries, small nuts and had even found a sunflower that had some seeds in it. As she approached the tree she called out. "Mother Squirrel I am back." Mother Squirrel poked her head out of the hole. "May I hold your young one?" "Yes you may." Mother Squirrel gently lifted her young one by the bak of his neck. When Smiles Alot seen him she slowly lifted her cupped hand so he could lay in it. "Awww Mother Squirrel he is so cute and so tiny. Don't worry young one." Smiles Alot gently rubbed his fur. "I will help take care of you." She lifted the snails shell filled with water to his mouth. The young one looked up at Smiles Alot and raised his little paws up to help hold the shell. When he had, had enough water he rested again in Smiles Alots hand. She layed the shell down and pulled out the berries, nuts, and sunflower seeds from her food pouch. "Here young one eat these." He ate as much as he could then layed back down and fell asleep. Smiles Alot gently put him back in their home. "Thank you Smiles Alot for helping." "Your welcome Mother Squirrel. I will be back as often as I can." Smiles Alot was proud and so was her Father, Mother and Grandmother when she told them. Her visits to the Squirrel family lasted over the next several days. Not only did she bring water and food for the young one, she also brought some sweet berry bread for Mother Squirrel and her other children. Then one day as Smiles Alot approached the tree she heard Mother Squirrel and her children squeaking and chattering furiously. "Mother Squirrel? What's wrong?" She slowly appeared out of their home. Smiles Alot knew something was wrong. "I'm very sorry Smiles Alot but the young one has joined the Spirit World." "What?? NO!!!! What did I do wrong? I tried to help! I am very sorry." Smiles Alot fell to the ground sobbing. Mother Squirrel climbed down the tree and went over to where Smiles Alot lay. Placing her small paw on her arm she spoke to Smiles Alot. "It was not your fault Smiles Alot. Remember when you first asked to help? Remember I told you that no matter what happened it was what the Creator had planned?" Smiles Alot looked up and wiped the tears from her eyes. "The Creator chooses and plans when it is time for one of us to move on to the Spirit World. And now in the Spirit World young one is healthy, strong and running with the other squirrels and creatures. Young one will never forget what you done for him. And the Creator gave you this to learn. It's just another one of the lessons that we must have in order to grow. The Creator knows best." "Mother Squirrel may I help you prepare young one for the Spirit World?" "Oh yes please. I'm sure young one would want you to." Smiles Alot untied her medicine bag and removed her sweet grass rope, her wooden bear fetish she made and her ceremonial tobacco. She layed young one in the bag. She placed the snails shell and berrieds, nuts and sunflower seeds in with him saying, "Here young one is some food and the shell you can get water with as you go on your journey." She then picked up her wooden bear fetish and put it in with him. Smiles Alot had tears coming down her cheeks. "This, young one, is my guardian, he will help watch over you." After Smiles Alot and Mother Squirrel finished preparing young one, Smiles Alot burned some sweet grass and some ceremonial tobacco. She offered up her prayers which was carried to the Creator in the smoke. "Oh Great Creator and my Spirit Guardian please watch over and proteck young one as he makes his journey to the Spirit World. I thank you for allowing me the chance to help out Mother Squirrel her children and especially young one. Thank you." They sat in silence for a moment thinking about the time they had enjoyed with young one. Smiles Alot reached in her leather food pouch and pulled out some berries and sunflower seeds. "Here Mother Squirrel, please accept this as my gift, for you gave me the gift of knowing your young one. I will never forget the kindness you showed to me." "Thank you Smiles Alot. Just remember that the Creator always gives us lessons and we must learn from them no matter how hard it might be. The Creator is always with us and will never give us a lesson that we cannot learn from." Smiles Alot walked slowly home thinking about what Mother Squirrel had told her. She knew she was right, but her heart was still breaking. When she caught site of her Grandmother she ran to her. Hugging Grandmother Speaks Softly as hard as she could, she told her what had happened, sobbing through her tale. "Oh Smiles Alot," Grandmother stroked her hair. "My child, you are growing up." |
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