” Don’t die without embracing the daring adventure your life is meant to be. You may go broke. You may experience failure and rejection repeatedly. You may endure multiple dysfunctional relationships. But these are all milestones along the path of a life lived courageously. They are your private victories, carving a deeper space within you to be filled with an abundance of joy, happiness, and fulfillment. So go ahead and feel the fear – then summon the courage to follow your dreams anyway. That is strength undefeatable.”
(Steve  Pavlina) 

The only constant in life is change.  Remaining flexible allows us, like the bamboo, to bend with the winds of life without breaking.  Our exploration of the far corners of the globe has taught us that resistance to this fact of life is in vain.  One day we were in Rwanda in remote Central Africa and a call from our son that my Mom had fallen, sent us hurdling through the looking glass into my small hometown of Mellen, in northern Wisconsin.  Like stepping into a Norman Rockwell painting we arrived exhausted at Main St. USA.  Famous artist, Rockwell (1894-1978), captured the hearts of Americans with his authentic portrayal of life in this unique melting pot of cultures.  A country bursting with diversity, one cannot compare life here in the heartland of America to the pulsing megalopolises of New York & Los Angeles or to the bayous of Florida, or life in the rugged Rocky Mountains or the white sand beaches of the coasts.  Pioneers all, life can be difficult in this remote area of Lake Superior.  Residents still face harsh weather and isolation as their ancestors did when immigrating from Europe centuries ago.  Under snow for months on end doesn’t daunt the spirits of this community.  A town pride to be admired rings loud and clear on special events like the 1986 Bicentennial celebration or the recent 100th anniversary of the local school.  People rally and work together to create an event to be remembered by all, those still living in the area along with those renegades who are returning home from afar.  Once taken into the fold, this small community rallies behind residents who have fallen on hard times, had houses burned by fire or the recent rash of cancer.

This is a great area to be from.  Stepping back in time has it’s advantages.  A slower pace means that people still have time to stop to talk to each other on the streets, when getting their mail at the post office or leaving church on Sunday.   This intimacy does have it’s drawbacks at times.  Armed with only a few bits of information, gossip fills in all the blanks on everyone’s story until it is hard to separate fact from fiction.  That is just the way it is in Small Town USA or in a remote village in Africa or in Provence, France.  Want the facts, go to the source.  One of the happiest days of my young life was when I realized I really didn’t care what people thought of me or what stories they told.   

When you smile, the whole world smiles with you.  A genuine smile here, as the world over, is a language everyone knows.  Looking for the good in those around us is something we all strive for, accepting differences and celebrating commonalities.  With this in mind we started asking around to see if there were any ceremonies coming up at Odanah, the Native American community near Ashland.  The Ojibwe or ‘Anishinabe’ The Original People of the Great Lakes have lived in harmony with Mother Earth from the beginning of time. These Ojibwa or Chippewa are Native Americans of the Algonquian language family.  During the colonial period, the Ojibwa were one of the largest and most powerful tribes on the continent. Their extensive territory included much of the western Great Lakes region and reached well into southern Canada.  The name Ojibwa (pronounced oh-JIB-wuh), along with its variations, Ojibway, Ojibwe, Chippewa, and Chippeway, and their native name Anishinabe (pronounced ah-nish-ih-NAH-bay) means “first people.”   Under harsh conditions and guided by Great Spirit they made use of everything in the forest, taking only what they needed while preserving and protecting their resources.  Centuries later Mother Earth groans under the weight of the destruction of our planet by greed and excessive numbers.  Addictions to drugs, alcohol or gambling, whether in the white or Native American community causes hardship to families, especially for  those close by who suffer the most.  It is an individual decision, no matter what race.  If we each do our small part it is possible to restore the balance lost in the wake of mankind’s development.