Holistic Wellness ~ The Spirit (Part 3)
© T. Darlene Cheek
When I was a little girl, I remember one night my mother kissed me goodnight and said, "Remember to say your prayers." I said okay and went to my room, changed into my pajamas and suddenly realized I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. Without thinking any further, I got down on my knees by my bed, folded my hands and began to pray for God to bless mommy and daddy and granny and papa and Sissy. In Jesus' name, Amen. I don't know where it came from. I had never heard of God or Jesus or church or praying. My mother was simply trying to impress her new boyfriend with a good little daughter who said her prayers, nothing more. A few weeks after that, we attended Vacation Bible School and began riding the bus that came around on regularly on Sundays to take the neighborhood children to Sunday School.
My grandmother, on the other hand, was straight from Ireland. In my memories of her spiritual lessons, I gather that she was not a Catholic Schoolgirl, rather what most would have considered a witch when she was my age. In all actuality, today she would simply be called a natural healer. When you were hurt, you could sit in her lap while she placed her warm hands on your boo-boo and told stories of fairies and gnomes that always made you feel better. She had a great respect for God and firmly believed in the power of prayer. She loved the earth and the spirits that walked its surface and spoke to her when she desired.
Grandaddy Mac was full-blooded Cherokee. He, too, spoke to the ancient ones, the animal spirits, and the wind. To him, I was "Tadpole," who would take over-the-road trips with him in his 18-wheeler with his little cocker spaniel, Daisy. He taught me unconditional love and respect for all people. He was an accepting and forgiving man who never turned down a person in need.
When I was 12 years old, I was placed in a foster home. My foster parents belonged to the Church of Christ, which I was baptized in. They promptly enrolled me in the local Church of Christ private school, and I was shortly baptized and very active in the church. I learned about Jesus Christ, and I felt a love for such a spirit that taught such a wonderful, loving message to mankind. God, on the other hand, who waged wars and threatened damnation, and flooded the world... HE terrified me! I found many things over those years that felt true in my heart, and I found many things that felt wrong in my heart.
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