The simple rules

“Do not wrong or hate your neighbor, for it is not him that you wrong, you wrong yourself.”
Thomas Wildcat Alford

“The grandfathers and the grandmothers are in the children: teach them well.”
Ojibwa proverb

“You should say nothing against our religion. For we say nothing against yours. You pray to God. So do all of us Indians, as well as the whites. We both pray to only one God, who made us all.”
Sitting Bull”Sell a country! Why not sell the air, the clouds, and the great sea, as well as the earth? Did not the Great Spirit make them all for the use of his children?”
Tecumseh

“Do not abuse your wife. If you make your wife suffer, you will die in a short time.Our grandmother, the earth, is a woman, and in mistreating your wife, you are abusing her.”
A Winnebago  Father’s teaching to his son

Dear Mexican Grandfather saw a homeless and hungry family. He would make me stop my car. We were coming from the Eastern Market in downtown Detroit. He would share his food with the homeless person. He told me and I was lucky. I had a good work and if you can. Help the needy.

My Mother had a job making $1.50 a hour in the middle sixties living in Akron. She had little food and bad housing. Every Friday an older woman would show-up and hand me or sister a bag of groceries. She was polite and kind. We always thank her. After I served three-year in Germany with the Army. I found her and I wanted to repay her with what I could. She gave me a hug and she told me. I want no money. You have repaid me by stopping by. You came back and thanks an old woman. I sat down and I learn she was a school teacher and she taught me.  Rewards of a good life is helping people and knowing laughter.

I was station in Honduras. My wife’s mother is a true woman of God. I was staying in a small village called Zambrano, Honduras.  It was Sunday evening. She made me and her brother carry the excess food and we followed 10 woman. They were talking and singing. Going into many houses. Each time they would take some bean, rice and tortillas to the families.  I asked my wife what did we do tonight. She told me the old woman of the village would gather excess food and give to the people who did not have none. What a beautiful and wise concept to live by.

We had some hard-skinned and mean Black Women Non-commission Officers stationed with me in Honduras.They were always pissed off and I kept my distance from them. They knew I had a military license and I knew the countryside. One Friday, two of them came to me and requested a ride into the city on Sunday. Every Sunday till I left. I tried to escape the task. I didn’t know where I was taking them. Sunday morning at 8am. The four woman were waiting. They had 10 boxes of food and clothing. I took them to the orphanage downtown in Comayagua and I help take the food and clothing in. I saw hard cored  Sergeants turn to soft as kittens. I befriended them and I saw them in a different light. They wanted no credit. They taught me, better to give than receive.

The simple rules should be easy. I like the Jesus words.shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
‘But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate … The Lord Jesus teaches that we must do all the real kindness we can to all, … .”

Thank you for reading.
Coyote/John Castellenas