He closed his eyes and began to relax. He felt
that if he could close out his immediate world, he might be able
to close this door for a time and have a chance to meditate on
all that had transpired already. He began to feel a gentle breeze
and he was sure that he was going to have a chance to take a break.
As he felt more comfortable, to his dismay he felt something land
on his hand. He opened his eyes and saw the seed pod that had
floated to the ground earlier. He reached with his other had to
grab it so that he could toss it out of his way. As he did he
noticed a small seed within this pod that was about to fall out
upon the ground. He reached for this small seed and once again
his journey was underway. "Hey, what do you think you're
doing?" vibrated the seed that he was now holding. "My
name is Hope, and I am on a journey to set my roots upon a fertile
piece of earth and bring about new growth. Why are you holding
me? Within the thin layer of fiber that surrounds my center is
carried every detail, every bit of knowledge that is needed to
reproduce what I am to be. In order for me to begin to grow I
need to be on my way. Please place me back into the pod that you
are holding allow me to continue my journey." The gardener
looked at the seed for a moment and realized that this was the
seed of a tree. He thought about where he might be able to plant
this seed so that it could provide shade to his back yard. "Why
don't I help you with your journey? I could plant you in my back
yard and you could provide shade for me." The seed shook
and began once again to vibrate with a message. "Why do you
think that I am to bring hope to your back yard? How is it that
you know exactly where I am to begin putting down my roots. You
do not understand. That is not my journey. I am on a journey that
can only be decided upon by every condition being in order. It
is not for you to decide if the conditions are right for me to
give growth. As I travel upon this earth I will always contain
within my center the truth of what I am to be. I may fall upon
this sandy soil for a time, but unless every condition is correct
then this is not my time to begin to grow. The soil can not be
to hard. It can not be to dry or to wet. It must be the correct
temperature and in the right season. Only when every condition
is met can I begin to grow." Once again the gardener was
struck by what was transpiring. He responded, "But I could
control the conditions, so that everything was correct, and I
could then help you reach your potential by working with you to
help in your growth. I could help you reach your potential much
sooner." Once again the seed shook and began his vibrating
with, "If in the process you make a mistake about one of
the conditions as you try and force me to begin my growth, you
could actually destroy me rather than help me. Your intentions
may have been great, but until the proper conditions are met in
there own way, I can not be helped. Once I begin to grow, then
you can offer all the help and support that you can give and I
will be better for it. If I am to reach the goal that is mine,
I must be set free to find that on my own. Conditions that are
correct for one seed may not be correct for another. The shell
that surrounds the great hickory is much more difficult to reach
through than is my shell. For this reason the conditions for his
growth to begin is much different than what are mine. Reaching
through this shell can not be forced. To do so could actually
destroy the seed that lies with in. You can provide and offer
your support, but until the seed has found the conditions to be
correct it will not grow." Gentle the gardener placed the
seed back into the pod and tossed it into the air. As the gardener
contemplated what he had just experienced, he knew that there
were times in his own life in which he had tried to force situations
with family and friends. He thought about times in which he tried
to force someone to change for the better. He now realized that
his approach was incorrect and that he needed to learn to offer
his support and wait for the right conditions for the seeds of
hope to begin to grow. He was beginning to realize that this journey
he was taking had little to do with his environment and everything
to do with his life and his inter personal relationships. He began
to realize that the knowledge that he needed to give value to
his own life lie deep within himself. He was beginning to realize
that he would never again see anything in quite the same way and
that his life was going to be totally different due to this trip
through the thicket that had always been just beyond his own back
yard.
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