Scout Cloud
Stories (19/0)
Lesson Seventy-five Years in the Making
I was a virgin when I married at twenty. I don't recommend it to anyone. Mama told me that I should wait for marriage to experience sex. Looking back, I have no memory of being either a friend or a lover to the man I married. We consumated our marriage on our honeymoon. It was nonplussed, except it hurt. Our marriage lasted less than four years. We never really became friends.
By Scout Cloud4 years ago in Humans
Little Annie
Little Annie A Story of Love and Compassion At the turn of the 20th century there existed a small town whose major employer was a state institution. In the old days it was called an “insane asylum”. An old lady worked in the cafeteria, and had all of her adult life. She was just four months from retirement when a little eleven-year-old girl named Annie was brought in. Little Annie acted like an animal, and in those days, it was considered proper to treat one like they acted. Annie growled, and hissed, and clawed, so she was put into a cage in the dungeon. Attendants hosed her down, threw her food, and basically treated her like an animal.
By Scout Cloud5 years ago in Motivation
Oklahoma Indian Coupe
Oklahoma Indian Coupe All of the Earth is sacred. She is a woman. She is our Mother. She is the physical manifestation of Mother Divine. When She gives to us, we must give to Her in return. When we take from a plant, we must give thanks. When we cut down a tree, we must replant another. We must replenish, not kill... not trees, not water, not animals, not each other. Knowing this sacred way of life is what gave impetus to the original game of Indian Coupe.
By Scout Cloud5 years ago in Wander
Rattlesnake Canyon
A good scare is worth a thousand words of advice. It brings us to attention. Fear is the most worthy opponent of personal success. Inside the ignorance and illusion of fear, the ears, the nose, the eyes, and the mouth simply do not function properly. Whatever gets decided in the face of fear, usually moves us backwards. We simply have to learn to step beyond the outer senses of fear.
By Scout Cloud5 years ago in Wander
Let Go! Let Grow!
It was March when Oklahoma Sunshine Magic came to us. I lay on my belly on the south side of the north pond here on The Ranch. The sun had barely peeked over the horizon when she came. Kanoa had picked the perfect spot for the birth of her second foal. Tahos, the father of this foal, was sired by a Grand Champion American Saddlebred but had been lead-poisoned as a colt. The vet encouraged us to neuter him. He hated the process, and fought it harder than any horse I’d ever seen. We were sure we’d neutered him early enough, so Oklahoma Sunshine Magic was a surprise. She came thirteen months after Tahos was “proud cut.”
By Scout Cloud5 years ago in Motivation
Back Roads
I grew up in a family who loved to take the back roads. There are few things I enjoy doing more than driving down the red, dusty country roads of Oklahoma. My friends and I love to kick back, crank up the country music, roll down the windows, and simply cruise the countryside. Oklahoma is laid out in one-mile squares. Most of the back routes are dusty, gravel roads. The baby green colors of springtime and the miles of winter wheat fields nourish the soul. You can imagine the surprise we felt when, one day we stumbled upon literally miles of cattle fence posts topped with cowboy boots.
By Scout Cloud5 years ago in Motivation
Humility
Tom McBride of Helena, Montana has been photographer of the year for National Geographic several times. Tom was the first person to photograph the mating act of the great golden eagles. He is well respected for his ability to live with and photograph the emotions of wild animals and birds of prey. Tom and I spent the day together on a mountain in Montana talking about the great teachers in our lives. This is the story Tom told me about his lesson in humility and vulnerability.
By Scout Cloud5 years ago in Motivation
Celebrate Feelings
As a young woman in graduate school at The University of Georgia, I attended my first big concert. Ike and Tina Turner were performing at the coliseum, and I had seats at the top of the top of the building. I went armed with a pair of binoculars.
By Scout Cloud5 years ago in Longevity
Persistence
No one thing is as important to my success in life as persistence. My father used to say, “Sister, you can do anything you want to do if you’ll just stick with it long enough.” My grandfather was named Grover Cleveland Spencer. I never knew Papa’s father. For this reason I created my own special Grandpa hero out of Grover Cleveland Spencer. It was fueled by my daddy’s stories about his father.
By Scout Cloud5 years ago in Motivation
True Appreciation
Pawnee, Oklahoma, is the headquarters for the Pawnee Indian Tribe. Near the center of town stands a small Indian church regularly attended by about eighteen people. Among the small congregation is an old traditional Indian woman who only speaks her mother tongue. Few remaining Pawnees remember the old language.
By Scout Cloud5 years ago in Humans
Everything Has a Place
My Daddy was a man of very few words and lots of laughter. He giggled at almost everything, especially life’s drama. When we would “have a fit and fall in it,” Papa would just giggle. His IQ was high and his words were few. Perhaps there is wisdom in this. He basically felt that other’s business was none of his. Thus, when Papa coached me about something other than sports, I listened. One of his strongest lessons had to do with orderliness.
By Scout Cloud5 years ago in Families
Respect
Bear Heart Williams is a respected Road Man, holy man, and teacher among the Creek nation. He lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I met Bear Heart years ago and learned to call him “Uncle.” It is with great respect for him that I share his personal story of respect.
By Scout Cloud5 years ago in Families