BEAUTY THAT REFLECTS HISTORY by Robert Soto

April 11, 2010

BEAUTY THAT REFLECTS HISTORY by Robert Soto

Song of Solomon 2:11-12 "See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come,the cooing of doves is heard in our land."

Springtime is a beautiful time in the Texas brushland. The wildflowers are in full bloom. Some will die but then other kinds of wildflowers will take their place. As one drives along the freeway that now cuts through the Texas brushland you cannot help but be in awe over the natural beauty. You see the bright reds and whites clustered with pink and yellow and blue and purple and bright orange flowers covering the landscape by the billions of flowers. It was about the time that we went past a place called Lipan Hill, which was there thousands of years before the first white man came and made their dwelling in our lands. The hill was covered with the bright green new leaves of the trees like the mesquite or huisache or Texas sagebrush. But there no flowers were found on the hillside. Then we went past the hill and into the small valley by the creek called Lipan Creek. It was then that I noticed the valley full of what looked like millions of white flowers. There were so many that it actually looked like the valley was full of snow.

As I stared at the field full of flowers I couldn't help but imagine what it might have been like as hundreds of our people made this valley a place of safety and a place of peace. I imagined the children of our people playing by the creek and their mothers sitting nearby preparing the next meal. It was a time of spring and it was a time of celebration. The winter was gone and the new had come which was symbolized by the flowers growing in the fields and meadows. I could imagine the men singing and drumming and getting ready for the big hunt and maybe planning their next raid. Spring was a symbol of life and a new beginning. Solomon wrote, "See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come,the cooing of doves is heard in our land." Spring flowers provide more than just beauty; they are a reminder of what life was once like.

Robert Soto, Lipan Apache and pastor of:

McAllen Grace Brethren Church
The Native American New Life Center
Chief of Chiefs Christian Church