I Will Always Remember.(Tekakwitha Conference)(Brief Article)

There are relatively few events in our lives that have such a profound effect on us that they become part of our daily remembrances. Hardly a day goes by without something happening that reminds me of my recent experiences with our Native American people. Although it was only a few days in 1999 and again in 2000, the time I spent with more than 1,500 Native Americans at the Tekakwitha Conferences has had a tremendous impact on me.

In 1999, I came to the Tekakwitha Conference held at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, to learn - - to learn about the people, their traditions, their history, their beliefs, their problems, and their way of life. What I learned changed much of my thinking.

In 2000, I came again to the Tekakwitha Conference in Lincoln, Nebraska, to learn more and to begin to share the pro-life message. And again, it changed me.

The Native American people I met are a very kind and respectful people. Abortion, to most, is unthinkable. Abortion is against nature and contradicts their whole instinct about respect for life at all its stages.

At each conference I made it a point to eat meals with someone whom I did not know in order to learn more. In every case, I was greeted warmly, freely accepted into the general conversation, and made to feel very much at home.

There were many children at these conferences and I still marvel at the respect they showed for their elders. At each meal the children would seek out the elders and make sure they were fed first.

Some would go through the cafeteria lines and bring platters to those who were unable to walk, while others would clear the tables after the meals. It was not a requirement thrust on them - - it was their way of life.