August 26, 2014 - The Little Acorn

There once was a mighty old oak tree that lived in a very old forest.  He had lived there for over 500 years and was the oldest tree around.  His plan was to live another 500 years, but one autumn day his plans changed.  He realized that he was not going to make it another 500 years.  In fact, he realized he would not even make it one more year.  With this in mind, he searched through his branches to find the best acorns he had, but imagine his dismay when he couldn’t find any at all.  Just as he had given up in despair, though, he found one tiny acorn in a branch--just one.

“Now listen to me very carefully,” he said to the acorn, “because I don’t know how much time I have left.”  Then he explained the situation to the acorn, who sat terrified on her little branch.  He told the acorn he was dying and that he wanted the little acorn to plant herself in the ground and grow into a mighty oak tree, just as he had done.

“But I don’t know how!”

“There’s nothing to it,” he chuckled.

“Easy for you to say.  I’m not doing it.”

“You have no choice.  Now don’t let me down and make my life in vain,” he said.

And with that, he gave a mighty shake of his branches and the little acorn fell down to the road.  There she sat immobile for a couple of days.  With each hour that passed, she fretted more and more, worried to no end about the huge task that had been given to her.  A car whizzed quickly by and missed her by just an inch, sending her rolling in the opposite direction.  Then another car came by and sent her back to where she had started.  Then a third car came and rolled her further still.  Luckily, none of them had run her over.

The little acorn awaits its destiny.

Nighttime came and it grew cold and a terrible rain came with tremendous thunder and lightning.  The little acorn sat miserable on the road, wishing she were back up in the lovely branches of the old oak tree.  When morning came, a squirrel came by and picked her up in his mouth.  “Now I am done for!” she thought, but the squirrel had already had more than enough to eat that day, so he brought her to one of his secret caches and buried her in the ground.

Then there was only darkness for what seemed like an eternity.  Dark and dark and dark, and then bitter cold.  She could no longer hear the “hum” of the old oak tree, which used to travel through the whole forest, above ground or below.  A great sorrow filled her and she went into a deep sleep, convinced that she had utterly failed.

And so she stayed this way for a very long time and finally gave up completely.  Oddly enough, on the very day when she had totally surrendered, she felt a strange warming sensation.  First it was just for a moment or two, but then it quickly grew.  It was such a wonderful feeling!  So warm and so inviting!  She simply could not resist the urge to find out what it was.  So she stretched herself as hard and as far as she could and finally managed to poke her head up out of the ground.

Lo and behold!  She was met with the most dazzling display of light and warmth--greater than she had ever felt in her young life.  The happiness she experienced was indescribable, and she reached herself up farther and farther just to be closer to the light and warmth.  It was the most wonderful thing that had ever happened to her.

And then she heard it.  A faint, familiar hum.  She looked up and saw the old oak tree.  He was still alive, but not for long judging by his hum.

“I see you made it,” he whispered, his mighty voice now soft and raspy.

“Oh, have I?  I hadn’t realized,” she said, feeling completely confused.  The old oak just chuckled softly, remembering his own emergence 500 years ago.

“It is time for me to go,” he said sadly.
“Where are you going?”

“I don’t know,” he said, “but my eyes are failing me these days and I see nothing but darkness.  It worries me.”

The little acorn, who was now a baby oak tree, looked up into the dazzling and brilliant sun, and she was suddenly struck with an understanding beyond her young age.

“Do not fear,” she said, “but instead rest.  Sleep and dream and forget.  And wait for the sun.  The sun will come again.  The sun always comes.”

“Do you really think so?” he asked.

“Indeed, I do.”