Today we need a bowl...we drive to Walmart and without thinking...try to decide whether we want plastic, china, stainless steel, wood, paper or glass.

Our forefathers spent days making their bowls out of the only resources they had...gourds or trees. It was often a chore shared by the entire family...cutting the tree, cleaning the log, hollowing out the shape and drying before it could be used. So many of the everyday needs of a family were made from the land they cherished. We see these artifacts in a museum and seldom pause to think about the human effort that went into creating them.

The next time you visit a museum...try to put yourself in the place of the pioneer family members as they set up their housekeeping in the new world. It will allow us to be much more appreciative of what we enjoy today as we go about our busy days.

Dan