echo

Once, long ago, an Indian warrior and his son were trecking in the mountains.

Now the little indian cub had reached an age of accountability. The great warrior desired that his son would learn many new lessons about life's journeys as they covered ground together on this special day.

As the warrior climbed the mountains above the deep canyons below, the young one lost his footing and started to slip, yelling out...
"uuuuhhhhhhh....aaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeehhh"; while barely catching his fall.
His eyes grew large and wide with fear as he heard his own voice coming back to him in a strange echo-ing yell. again, he screamed out to the VOICE in the air....
                          " hhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaoooooooooooooouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhh"

This was repeated over and over again; each time with a different sound and a different emotion.
The great warrior watched with much pride as his son discovered one of the great natural wonders for the first time on his own.

This was one of the many things that the warrior had planned to show his boy cub on this canyon climb.
It always proved a good lesson for time on the earlthy plane.
As the warrior watched on , the young boy seemed almost alone in his new discovery, calling and yelling out, until finally he tired and ended with grand and hearty laughter as the moments passed with a great excitement and new wonderment. " wwwhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaooouuuuuuuu" cried the young boy.

                                  The young one finally turned to share the new discovery with his proud father.
                                                      My Father, do you hear the air calling out to me?"
                                      "Yes, my son," said the warrior.."My ears hear the air calling out to you."
                                                              "Do you hear it speak MY words, my Father?"
                                            "I do hear it speak your words, my son." replied the great warrior.
                                         "Father...How does the air in the great wide canyon speak to me
                                                 wih no face, and no mouth? " inquired the young one.

It was then that the great warrior reached out to his son, turning him to again face the great canyon
that shouts back the words that you tell it.
WIth much force and power, the great warrior then bellowed out a wonderful Indian chant.
Word by word, they listened together as they gazed deep into the canyon's mouth.

The little one could barely shoulder and contain the excitement and pride that entered his small little body and soul as he listened to his Father's words returning to his ears from the deep canyon earth.

He did not want his Father to see his eyes fill with water as he shared the magical moment in great awe and wonderment. Never had he been more proud of his Father's great voice and the power he
had within him. Never had he felt this much love and admiration for the one that came before him.

He thought of a very recent time that his Father took him to the forest and the plains where they heard
the voices of many of the great father beasts bellowing out to their prides, herds, and packs.
It is now that he realizes that one day he will too be a great warrior and will be strong and admired by
the younger and weaker of the tribe.

Now, much time passed here on this day on this high ledge as the father and his son shared together this great lesson learned by speaking to the VOICE in the Canyon.
                                     The warrior turned and put his huge hand on his son's tiny shoulder.
                                 "My son, listen to this voice from the earth's air... it must never be forgotten."
Then the warrior placed his strong hand across the young one's chest and he spoke out....
                                               "Do not forget how the words go from here in your heart
                                                      to make words in your head that speak out to others."

The warrior put one hand on his son's head, and with the other made a gesture in front of the boy's mouth and out into the canyon.

"The thoughts become words and leave your mouth to float out into the air, into the earth to be heard."

Again, he lays hands on his son's shoulder's as they gaze out together over the great canyon.
"The earth captures your thoughts and voice. The voice you speak will come back to you. When your
voice shouts with great love from your heart, the great love comes back to you.
When you voiced in fear and heard your words return, it frightened you.
Every word and thought that you speak out into the earth comes back to you, my son. Use good words when you face others so they will come back happy to your ears and heart."

The great warrior then turned to begin the long trek to the village, content that the smallest warrior would always remember the lesson learned on this day.
As the young one followed his Father down the mountain trail, he turned many times to the magic
air, to the great ear in the canyon. He spoke many different words and thoughts to be returned to
his ears to FEEL for the best ones for his HEART.
                                        By the time the warrior and his son climbed down low enough
                              so that the voices no longer came back to them as he spoke out, the boy had
                             learned which voices felt the best inside his HEART, MIND, and SOUL.

       He then looked up to where he had stood with his Father, the great
                     warrior, and pictured the time to come when he will stand
                                        proud with his son and share the voice
                                                that comes back to us when we speak.