The poetry of fall in the Smokey Mountains is always remarkable, partly because of the rich history that comes to mind during a quiet walk in the woods. One can almost hear the soft footsteps of the earliest inhabitants going about their lives along the riverbanks and among the trees. Preparing for their winters they would collect the nuts, dry the harvest season’s fruits, and finish reinforcing their settlements for the cold weather that would come with the season’s changes.

With knowledge about the truth of why and how the first white settlers came to America one can imagine the pleasure with which wise people learned interesting methods and culture from each other while preserving their own. The warm friendliness that the natives and the newcomers enjoyed in the early days of their relationship can very nearly be felt if we look at the myriad of colors dancing in the autumn breezes. Beside streams that carry yellow and orange leaves into the crannies of clustered rocks and deep tree roots we can sense the strength of that early friendship.

It is not pleasant to consider the vicious behavior that eventually divided most of those early relationships, but that consequence of time is not new to humankind’s relationships. Since the fall of man there have been wars within and without. The tragedies that have occurred in American history are not unique to America, nor of any other particular culture. An honest study of the history of the world reveals that every race, every culture has its record of abuses of their own people, not to mention abuses of other races and cultures.

It’s important, however, not miss what is valuable when trying to find solutions to prevent repetition of past mistakes. When we consider the history of past cultures we need to study out the whole truth because too often we focus only on trying to learn from the mistakes. Sure, there is a lot to learn from what goes wrong in a situation, but we can also learn much from the aspects of those circumstances that were, in actual fact, very good.

A total focus on the wrong prevents us from remembering and learning from what was good throughout history. Like every other culture, America has had its share of both. In the political climate we live in today we need to be careful to teach our children that America's history has a lot of good that we could learn from.

The harvest season is a fine time to reflect on America’s history but we need to be sure to avoid the bitter and ungrateful revisionist’s version of our country’s heritage. American school teachers have often been forced to ignore the truth about our history, and have even been required to teach lies about it. Do you know a child that you could share some truth with? Consider the following resources for those you can influence during this fall season. Maybe they will share them at school!

www.ctlibrary.com/ch/

www.skyangelestore.com

www.visionforum.com/booksandmedia/productlist.aspx?categoryid=166

www.americanchristianhistory.com

www.shoplbg.com/cat_list.php?cat=17

www.achipa.com/

www.shoplbg.com/index.php?&width=1280&height=800

Happy fall, ya’ll!