An Indigenous Elder's Meditations on Hope and Courage, written by Steven Charleston. Charleston reminds his readers that in 1831, the Choctaw nation lost its homeland, suffered tremendous loss of life and was forced to walk west on a journey that saw misery and death in what the nation calls, “the Trail of Tears.” He documents the resilience of the native peoples of this land in the form of inspired writings and the use of the Kiva and ladder as metaphor to rising above the challenges we now face in our world both collectively and individually. Steven Charleston is a leading voice of justice for indigenous peoples, the environment, and spiritual renewal in North America. A member of the Choctaw Nation, Charleston has appeared on ABC World News Tonight, BBC World News, The News Hour with Jim Lehrer, and other outlets. The author of more than a dozen books on theology and spirituality, Charleston has served as the Episcopal bishop of Alaska, president and dean of the Episcopal Divinity School, and professor of systematic theology at Luther Seminary. Steven serves as the theologian in residence at Berkeley Divinity School at Yale University. Charleston lives with his wife, Susan, in Oklahoma, and writes daily meditations on social media, which reach thousands.