The old man sat rocking in his chair on the porch when his great-grandson came and sat next to him. He looked at the patriarch and asked, “Pe-Po, what’s our religion?” The old man looked at him and replied, “The spirit of all people and things; spirituality, my son. However, I wouldn’t call it a religion. In fact, it isn’t one.” “Spit-you-all-you-tee?” the little one tried to pronounce. The old man chuckled, “Close enough, and yes, spirituality. I’m not going to tell you what it should mean to you but I’ll share what it means to me. It’s sun in the morning and the moon and stars at night. It’s the flowers, trees, birds and bees; the water, the dirt, the mud and the grass. It’s the eagle that soars high in the sky, the giant bear; the wolf. It is me, it is you, our family, our neighbor and friends.

You see, everything around you is about the quality of the spirit or soul. Material things are not of my concern.” The little one stared at him blankly and said, Okay…” Pe-Po chuckled, “You’ll understand as you grow. And you have me and your family to guide you along the way.” The little one’s dad walked up, “Hey, guys what are you up to? Time for dinner.” The little one stood up and replied, “Well I was asking Pe-Po about his religion and he starting talking about birds and bears, the sun and mud, me, you and everybody…” He continued rambling as he headed into the house. Both the old man and dad follow behind him laughing.

© B. Noble