"I am thankful for what the Creator has bestowed on me and apologize that I haven’t always handled those gifts as well as I should have. In fact, there are times when I am not at all pleased with myself, but then, those are the curves, dips and sidetracks that life throws at us. As one of my mentors told me, what’s important is not that we fall from our chosen path. What’s important is that we have the grace to get back on track.
My uncle and mentor, Wesley Plenty Chief, was a wise man.
I was remembering my uncle as I thought of the Thanksgiving prayer for Thursday. With the cooperation of the weather, I’ll be home with my family in White Shield, N.D.
I am trying to focus on the meaning of the holiday rather than get caught up in what I am to contribute to our big family dinner Thursday. My sisters, who live on the reservation and gather the family, call regularly to find out who’s bringing what and to make sure that the menu is completely filled out.
They shouldn’t worry. Rarely has an item been missing from our Thanksgiving feast. No one has forgotten to bring the turkey or left the ice cream at home sitting on the table."
Get the Story:COLUMNIST DORREEN YELLOW BIRD: Thankful for best holiday of all (The Grand Forks Herald 11/26) More Dorreen Yellow Bird:
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Yellow Bird: Can't wait for delicious deer (11/17)
Yellow Bird: Racism doesn't end with Obama (11/13)
Yellow Bird: No smoking or drinking in casinos (11/10)
Yellow Bird: Grief the same among all cultures (11/6)
Yellow Bird: Turtle Mountain Band takes on abortion (11/3)
Yellow Bird: Negative ads poison Senate race (10/27)
Yellow Bird: North Dakota landscape impresses (10/22)
Yellow Bird: Feeling helpless about the economy (10/20)
Yellow Bird: Examine Native American Party (10/15)
Yellow Bird: Sen. Obama a presidential winner (10/13)
Yellow Bird: On UNITY, Amtrak and North Dakota (7/30)
Yellow Bird: Sundance offers food for the soul (7/23)
Yellow Bird: Watching the sky for hints of danger (7/14)
Yellow Bird: Humbled by Turtle Mountain tornadoes (7/10)
Yellow Bird: Sometimes the media gets carried away (7/7)
Yellow Bird: Smudging room at North Dakota hospital (7/2)
Yellow Bird: Adventures that stir the spirit (6/18)
Yellow Bird: Exhibit focuses on Arikara Scouts (6/16)
Yellow Bird: My heart belongs to the Great Plains (6/11)
Yellow Bird: White buffalo signals hope and peace (6/9)
Yellow Bird: Sen. Barack Obama for president (6/4)
Yellow Bird: There's good and bad in oil development (6/2)
Yellow Bird: Remembering all relatives a big chore (5/28)
Yellow Bird: Oil on the Fort Berthold Reservation (5/26)
Yellow Bird: Recycle and live lightly on the Earth (5/12)
Yellow Bird: Leaps in America's multiracial society (5/7)
Yellow Bird: Diversity in the United States (5/5)
Yellow Bird: Pollution a threat to North Dakota (4/30)
Yellow Bird: Program graduates Indian nurses at UND (4/21)
Yellow Bird: Recovering from brain aneurysm surgery (4/17)
Yellow Bird: A fight for oil on the reservation (03/31)
Yellow Bird: Excitement in North Dakota's weather (3/26)
Yellow Bird: Thoughts on Sen. Obama and race (3/24)
Yellow Bird: Pray for rain in western North Dakota (3/19)
Yellow Bird: Grandchildren are the greatest gift (3/17)
Yellow Bird: UND powwow survives budget woes (3/10)
Yellow Bird: Stereotypes and Hillary Clinton (3/5)
Yellow Bird: Celebrating 125 years of UND history (3/3)
Yellow Bird: High hopes for Indian health bill (2/28)
Yellow Bird: More Plains foods that are good for you (2/25)
Yellow Bird: Chokecherries, the wonder fruit (2/20)
Yellow Bird: Sadness on a trip to Standing Rock (2/18)
Yellow Bird: It's time for a change in music (2/11)
Yellow Bird: 'Sioux' drives Indian students away (2/7)
Yellow Bird: Another cold January in North Dakota (1/30)
Yellow Bird: Tribal casinos should be alcohol free (1/28)
Yellow Bird: Race and gender in presidential race (1/23)
Yellow Bird: Barack Obama is my choice for 2008 (1/16)
Yellow Bird: Artman right on off-reservation gaming (1/9)
Yellow Bird: Barack Obama's big win in Iowa (1/7)