A Fairy Tale

Once upon a time in the land of God there lived a young princess who was surrounded by fairies day and night. The fairies protected her from all harm and she lived blissfully in love with God. She laughed and sang and read stories. When she would go for a walk, even when she ventured outside of the land of God the fairies would hover beside her. Whenever anyone or anything that may have had bad intentions came near her the fairies would buzz around that person or thing and make such an aggravating sound that the annoyance of it all made the evildoers give up and walk away.

One day the princess thought to God that she wanted the fairies to stand back so that she could suffer and with that suffering show God that she would still love Him. Maybe, she thought, if she suffered God would love her even more and send her treats. God granted her wish and almost instantly she was overcome with pain in her groin. The pain was severe and she tried to pretend that it wasn’t there so she could continue to do all of the things she adored.

Weeks before, the princess had been invited by another princess to a story-party. She had been so happy about the invitation that to be a good guest she prepared day and night reading about Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, whom she didn’t care about at all. But alas, on the evening of the party which was also the evening of her answered wish, the princess was suffering greatly. She tried very hard to ignore her companion of pain as she began to walk to the party without her fairies. The truth of the matter was that her fairies were only a little farther away than usual. While walking, the sad princess could not continue to ignore the pain and was forced to turn back.

Lying in bed the princess thought how very foolish she had been to seek suffering but she did what she intended to do which was to praise God while in pain and told Him how very much she loved Him. She no longer sought any treat except the disappearance of the pain. The princess also told God how very sorry she was that she thought she could love Him better while she suffered. She knew God did not want her to suffer which was why the fairies surrounded her.

Then the princess fell into a very deep sleep. She dreamt about children, lots and lots of children swimming in the sea all around her. The water was muddy but she could always touch the bottom or get there with a big wave. When they all washed up to shore she could see the children better. There were hundreds of them in different colors and ages all laughing and playing.

When the princess awoke, the pain was gone, but she felt very weak. So she asked for the fairies to return. She also promised God that she would never ask for suffering again. God smiled. The fairies too were relieved to hear the princess talk that way and they all lived happily ever after.

1. Spring Fervor

Yesterday I was digging in the dirt, struggling to breakthrough roots to get rid of undesirable plants or to relocate the ones I wanted to keep. It was a tough and dirty job. All sweaty and muddy I started cursing Adam who is to blame for this toil with the soil when suddenly I was transported by contrast to our new planet with the hope that there this curse would be lifted once and for all .

No sooner did I imagine loamy rich soil from which I could pluck out a plant as easily as I can pluck a ripe fig from its branch than it occurred to me that according to Gospler Luke that desirable destination lay within. I suppose he meant that we can feel the same way here and now, (happy, luminous, and loved) as we will there eternally. As soon as I got the chance I grabbed my pen to help me reach that inch or two beyond the length of my stretched fingers to discover that Pompeii buried not by time and soil but by the aspects of my life that darken the essence of the light-filled inner kingdom.

“Hello! Here I am! I found you!” I shouted with glee upon arrival.

“What do you mean you found us? We were never lost.” replied one of the resident fairies who keep the lights on and calls to me during the day.

“Well, you know what I mean. Maybe I should have said, ‘There you are!’ Today is Sunday again, the first day of the week. I suppose it is easier to come here on Sundays because so much less sacrifice is required for the journey.”

“Evangeline, if you are going to keep aspiring towards immortality you should come here more often. We miss you. Get used to this place. But better yet, study it and take us out with you when you leave. Do you think we like being cooped up in here all week waiting for those precious prayerful moments to be noticed? ”

“You’re right. I’m sorry. I promise to come more often and to write about the beauties of this place and of all of the happy people here where no one is dead, and no one is troubled or lacks any good thing. I’ll write about the refreshing fountain of wisdom and the Tree of Life. That’s a terrific idea. This way I’ll come more often and I’ll be productive too!”

“You know Evangeline, I think you really have a hang up with productivity. Can’t you just relax and enjoy life!”

“Of course not! Time is too short, there’s so much to do! In fact, thanks for the good idea. I’ll be back, but I have to go run errands now.” Evangeline shouted as she rocketed back to the surface.

The little fairy pondered out loud, “I’m not so sure I know what she means about time being short. Does anyone else here understand the concept of time?” then the little fairy flashed a bright dimpled grin that endeared her to all the other fairies in that part of the Kingdom.  

2. The Surprising Reunion

When I wanted most to go and live in the land of immortality where the Kingdom of God is the only State and the only Country and everyone’s face radiates the light within their hearts, and God’s own light shines on each and every person, when I wanted to be there, even if it meant leaving my homes and God forbid, my family, I was reminded that while I am still in this flesh I may experience both worlds.

The Kingdom of God is within. So I set out to go in and visit. I found fairies there and they knew me and spoke to me. They live there always and they know not what time is. Of course they wouldn’t know what time is because it is the Kingdom of God. So as this flesh and frame of mine contorts with age when I visit the fairies I am forever young.

I don’t know why I was so quick to leave that place on my last visit. While in the world, my mind often flashed back with spits of memory. This morning, being Sunday again I was anxious to visit the Kingdom.

As I entered the gates to the Kingdom a fairy met me who said she had been waiting for me because she had a surprise.

“Wonderful!” I exclaimed. “I love surprises! Where is it?”

“To find your surprise, you must travel deeper into the Kingdom, there is no listening for your cell phone to call you out, understood?” Suddenly, the fairy sounded much more serious than cheerful. “Evangeline, I am taking you deeper into the Kingdom than you have ever been before, if you don’t completely surrender, you will float back up and you’ll never see the surprise that awaits you.”

With a keen sense of anticipation came the determination not to let anything force me back out. My little fairy friend and I travelled in silence through foggy space. Sounds shot in to redirect me but the fairy quickly flew over to them before they got too close and she blew the sounds away for me.

The fog lifted particle at a time until it seemed that I awoke in light. I noticed a big black rock on the banks of a wide river. On the rock sat a beautiful young woman with her heir tied back low and wavy. I rushed over to see who it was and lo and behold it was my mother! She looked exactly as she had in my mind on that heartrending morning after the machine surprisingly indicated to me that her heart stopped beating. Right away I had closed my eyes to find her. I saw the beautiful young lady who was before me, and was glad.

Mary jumped off the rock when she spotted me and ran towards me. We hugged a hug that exuded the essence life and love. How beautiful life is I thought. I cried, “Mom, I have missed you so much.”

“But my darling Evangelia, I have always been right here inside of you. When you think of me I am instantly awakened. You are my sunshine.”

“Mom,” I needed to ask her, “have you seen God?”

As if to change the subject she replied, “Do you remember the life of anguish that I lived inside my body?” Of course I remembered the mental illness that writhed within her twisting her all up, the metamorphous of which I was only minimally aware and that not until I became an adult and learned that she had once been a beautiful cheerful young lady and not the distorted suicidal wreck that was the floor of her earthly experience. Millions of pills reconfigured her whole circuitry so that after fifty years or so of the chemical life, polyester pills so warped who she had been that there was no possibility of return to the natural mind of her youth. She had been refashioned by drugs. I wished she hadn’t asked me that question.

Mom continued, “When I first left my body I was instantly young again, but our Lord has had to help me grow into myself, so warped was I that I needed a process to remake me. This is how He did it. He gathered all of the bad stuff of my life into a large ball. At first it was as big as a beach-ball but very heavy. I was never allowed to set the ball down, but I could shrink the ball with my tears. As I contemplated my sinfulness, the horrid things I said and did I cried onto the ball. My soul strengthened as the ball dissolved. Now that these six earthly years have passed, my ball lies in the palm of my hand and I have been given the joyous gift of our reunion. Praise the God who illuminates with His love, Wisdom of the ages, Father of fathers.

“Let me tell you, I have seen the Mother of God, Mary, she told me how she transformed you so that you could care for me in the latter years. I was so very grateful, I have thanked her a million times for both of us. Someday you will see her too.”

“Oh mom how I wish I could see her. Yes, she did that for us. It was amazing!” Then my mind drifted, “It’s also amazinghow I was once invisibly inside of you and now you are invisibly inside of me! Full circle! Cool!”

“Yes, full circle with God in the middle!” she threw her lovely head back with a giggle. I was still astounded at how beautiful she was. If I hadn’t seen all of those old photographs of young mom and her friends I would have never recognized her.

“This time I wanted to stay and hug her more but tears fell from her eyes because time was still my burden and we couldn’t be real friends yet.The fairies flew over and covered my mother and in total surrender, I floated to the surface.As I was surfacing I could hear her singing to me,

Blue Moon, You saw me standing alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own
Blue Moon
You know just what I was there for
You heard me saying a prayer for
Someone I really could care for

and I cried.