Respect

By Anita Proffitt

This story needs some background information or it will become a book, before its time. Here are a few details that will ease you into the story, similar to what a play writer does for a play.

Setting: Peace Pond is 40 hilly acres hosting a four-acre pond and an oak savanna. It is truly a little piece of Heaven on Earth, which is found near New Virginia, Iowa. I had the honor of living there and being steward of the land, trees and all of nature for eight years.

Granny: Is short for Grandmother Oak, a white Oak, I think. She is quite old and very wise in her silent wisdom as she stands close to the house, square in front of the main door. She has a great view of the pond that is nestled down the hill. Granny has been blessed by lightning. This is a hollowed black hole where the lightning gave its blessings. Also, Granny has two other scars that have rounded layers of healing. All of these together tell a story of active life.

Ms. Rosie: Is a cat that had a very special relationship with Granny. Ms. Rosie has her own book that will be published soon.

Starwalker Woman: Is an Ojibway Medicine woman from Canada and she spent time at Peace Pond. I would love to thank her in deep gratitude for all the wisdom she has so easily shared with me over the twenty-some years we have “hung out” together. I cherish a deeply bonded friendship.

L.W.: This would be me. L.W. is short for my Native American name, Lightning Walks on Water. I was guided to live in nature and be healed by trees, pond, land, animals and all of nature. I was healing from 20 years as a “trauma therapist.” I have been blessed with healing and am now being guided to share about that healing mainly by writing about it.

And so the story begins…

Once upon a tree’s time, a Grandmother Oak gave me a wonderful gift of Respect. This is the story of how I received that wonderful amazing gift. This gift leads me to have Respect for Mother Earth and all her children.
Knowledge speaks and wisdom listens. How can we speak knowledge without first listening? I was quite guilty of not listening. Talk, talk, talk, you must have these facts; and this knowledge. In addition, when I did listen, I did take the information and fit it into my knowledge and then talk, talk, talk.

The wonderful wisdom found in listening was gifted to me after I went to live in the woods. It took about two years for the peace of nature to soak in enough for me to not only listen, but also to hear. What I heard was amazing. I started to trust my inner awareness and “knowings.” I had finally managed to get out of my head and into my heart. I found I much preferred a heartfelt life to the head knowledge.

In order to still live in this society I needed to do head knowledge every once in awhile. The knowledge stuff it took to do my computer was easy to get rid of. I simply sold the computer. It was not so easy with my taxes. I got them in sort of a mess by trying to do them heartfelt. Thank goodness, there are people with knowledge about taxes for me to rely on.

The point I want to get across in how nature was able to heal me is that in the woods, I was able to slow down and experience life with all five senses. In addition, it did not hurt anyone to let my imagination play. It was fun to let go of the fact that the sunrays were reflecting on the water in Peace Pond. Moreover, I let the imagination of my childhood see stars coming from the Heavens to dance on the ripples of the water. I believe it says in the Bible, “Ye Shall be as the children to enter the kingdom of Heaven.” After all I have called Peace Pond my Heaven many times.

The discovery that my imagination and intuition were kissing cousins was healing for me. In that healing process, I was invited to the inner awareness of the tree, the animal, the land and the water. I grew to trust my inner “knowings” of what these live beings were telling me.

Dear Granny Oak received my Respect. That Respect happened when I became aware of the many wonderful things she gave and shared.

She gave shade for us to keep cool and enjoy.
She helped the wind to whistle, sing and dance.
She provided acorns for the squirrels to eat and line their nests.
She gave the birds a home for their families.
She produced oxygen for us to breathe.
She grew roots to help prevent erosion of Mother Earth.
She shared patience, stability and wisdom in her peaceful silence. She has well over 100 years of wisdom.
She provides a place for Ms. Rosie the cat to climb, with a limb that is only for Ms. Rosie to relax on and take a catnap.
She gives me awareness when I connect with her.

Granny in no way has been harmful to any living thing. That is a lot more than can be said about most people.
All of this is why my Respect for Granny is heartfelt. I do not think facts and knowledge can give the same kind of Respect. Granny Oak was the beginning of my heartfelt Respect for all nature. I am deeply grateful to Granny for the guidance she so very wisely gave me. Thank you with love and appreciation.
L.W.

Grandmother Oak Speaks
“I like this picture of me and want to share some things about it.”

“A big thank you to Ms. Rosie; she helps keep me smiling. Ms. Rosie climbed up my face often, each time she would step on my mouth turning it to the side – just to keep me smiling. Ms. Rosie climbed my face when she was going to her limb—the same one every time. She then would cozy herself down for a catnap. She felt safe there, protected from coyotes, mean wild dogs and cats, and the neighborhood fox. I loved that I could keep her safe. It made me smile more.”

“Please look at my bright red scarf, and then notice the pinkest brown scarf just below it. It too was bright red when Starwalker Women put it on me. This was in celebration of my helping her heal all the oaks at Peace Pond. There had been some negative energy put on us oaks and I helped her remove them.”

“Some years later L.W. asked me if I would life a new red scarf. I quickly said yes. She then asked if I wanted to keep my old scarf too. Again, I said yes. I would like to thank L.W. for my new scarf and letting me keep my old one.”

“L.W. took a picture of me for her Christmas card. Life is good at Peace Pond.”