Chapter 31: Spilled Blood

Readers, are you still with me?  Hoping that Madeleine will survive the Iroquois attack?And what about Francois and Midge?  What will happen to the children?

I want to highlight Francois as a character in White Heart.  Little has been said about him on my blogs.  But to me he symbolizes the beauty of racial diversity.  His mother was Huron and his father was French.  He was raised by his father, with a strong influence by Madeleine who functioned as a midwife, nanny, and later godmother.  Francois grew up proud of his mixed heritage.  He took the best of both cultures and developed his skills in those areas.Francois was handicapped, but he was not disabled.  He was born with a club foot.  But he did not let this physical defect impair him.  Francois, even as a one-year-old, did not hesitate to walk.  As he grew he ran, played, swam, and even rode horseback without any shame.In fact, he excelled in horsemanship. When the Iroquois attacked Parrot’s Bay, the warriors considered ending Francois’ life.  But the boy told the leader, “I can do well for your tribe.  . . .  with this horse.  We hunt well together.  My leg makes no difference.  Watch me.”  Then Francois galloped across the field standing on the horse’s back, and pantomimed shooting a gun and then cocking an arrow and letting it fly. The Indians stared at him with respect.If you haven’t read chapter 32 yet, note that this next paragraph may be a bit of a spoiler.  Francois performed a horse-back riding stunt show for the Iroquois once the war party had arrived in Oswego.  The crowds cheered for him.  I wrote on page 333, “Francois had learned the lessons well about cross-cultural understanding, diplomacy, and respecting the natives’ way of life.”Readers have asked me to write a sequel to White Heart.  If I do, Francois will be my main character.  I love his humility, wisdom, and adaptability.  By the time the French and Indian War breaks out, Francois will be an old man.  But this mixed-breed, intelligent man can accomplish a great deal in helping the colonial and natives’ relationships in the next fifty years.Let me know if you would like to see more of Francois as he matures to manhood, and then takes up a role in the development of what will become New York State.But for now, let me ask you, what's holding you back in life? Are you living out of fear because of a handicap; whether it be physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually?  Maybe you have a dream, goal or desire that you have feared pursuing because you didn't feel capable.  Today, give it over to God.  Let him give you the courage to pursue the desires of your heart. Blessings,