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(#7) Buffalo Spirit and Gratitude
#7 Buffalo Spirit And Gratitude
Note to Reader: This series will focus on how to encourage children to be more conscious and conscientious of the world around them, both the physical and the non-visible world of Spirit. These columns will initially focus on animal spirit guides found in the Children’s Spirit Animal Cards, which are intended to help children understand the guidance that spirit animals can provide.
“If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, “thank you,” that would suffice.” Meister Eckhart
“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” William Arthur Ward
I recall years ago listening to a speaker talk about his relationship with his children. One thing he said that stood out was, “More than listening to what I say, they watch what I do!” Amongst all the other possibilities for modeling behavior and encouraging children, one that stands out is expressing gratitude as often as possible. Those two simple words—thank you—can become a healthy habit for parents and children, encouraging both to look at the proverbial glass as half full rather than half empty. Buffalo spirit in the Children’s Spirit Animal Cards says it all: “Be thankful for what you have.”
Why is Buffalo spirit associated with gratitude and thankfulness? Typically an animal spirit’s “medicine” is derived from their characteristics and the message is a metaphor for the gift from the spirit animal. In the case of Buffalo, it’s gratitude. Since buffalo was the animal that was the most plentiful for the Native Americans who lived on the plains, it provided a great deal of resources for the Native Americans, food being only one. The hide was used for covering in cold weather, the skin for shelter and drums, and sinew for sewing, to name but a few examples. Every part of the animal was used and nothing was wasted. Buffalo were treated as sacred for that very reason. Great Spirit provided such an abundance of this particular animal that it gave the two-leggeds cause to be thankful.
It’s for these reasons that in the children’s cards Buffalo spirit’s message is “Be thankful for all you have” as a means of supporting gratitude as a consistent attitude. Here’s Buffalo spirit’s message in the expanded reading in the guidebook:
I’m sure there are times you find yourself wishing you had more toys, games, or the latest electronic gadgets, feeling bad because you see what the other kids have that you don’t. You might even complain about not having those things, feeling sorry for yourself that somebody has more things than you do. The more you think that way—that you don’t have enough—the more you will feel 
sad and grumpy and overlook all the things that you do have. Instead, for the next few days, notice all the things you have in your life that you can feel grateful for. Be thankful for the food you eat, the people that love and care for you, the books and toys you have. Be thankful for your friends, the place you live, for the trees, plants, and animals. Be thankful for how well your body works, how it keeps you alive, how it heals itself. All that you have in your life is ultimately a gift from God, so show your appreciation and gratitude by saying “thank you” as much as possible. See how much better you feel when you do.
This is a message not only for children but also for us as parents and grandparents to keep in mind, particularly since children watch how we act.
And to follow up on this, these are some activities suggested for children:
ACTIVITY
* Make it a point today to say thank you as much as you can for anything that someone does for you. Especially thank your parents for things they do for you.
* At the dinner table, invite everyone to say at least three things for which they are grateful about today.
* Write out a “gratitude list” which can be part of your journal and add at least one or two items each day.
* Throughout the day take a minute every so often, pause, breathe, and think about the things you appreciate.
One of the unique features of the Children’s Spirit Animal Cards is the section for parents, which gives guidelines for working with their children. In addition, for each spirit animal there are suggestions for parents to help encourage the spirit animal’s guidance. For Buffalo, here’s some ideas for parents.
* At the dinner table as you begin eating, have each person, including yourself, states three things for which they are grateful. These can be things that happened that day or anything else.
* Show them how to do a gratitude journal where each day they think of things that day that made them feel happy and thankful.
* Organize a give away where the child or children gather some of their toys that they are willing to give to another child less fortunate.
* Encourage them to write their own thank you notes instead of doing it for them.
Another idea would be to make it a game by setting a goal of a certain number of “thanks” each day, no matter how small the favor or gift. And no matter your circumstances, thank God for the blessings in your life every day.
Thank you Buffalo spirit! Thank you God!
