Still half asleep, Jeremiah stretched his remaining limbs towards the sky and opened his eyes to welcome spring's happy song, but it wasn't so happy. Sap oozed from every inch of his broken body, and Jeremiah realized that this had not been a dream. "Oh no," he sadly sighed. "Now, what am I going to do?"
"You're going to pick yourself up and grow again," rang a perky voice from the courtyard.
Jeremiah saw Ginger sitting on the other side of the fence. He was happy to see her but unhappy to be himself. "Easy for you to say," he grumbled. "You have already found your destiny, I have destroyed mine. Look at me, does this look like a king to you?"
Carefully scanning the scruffy tree, his body resembled a barren cross scathed with fewer leaves than life. "Yes, more than ever." Then she reached her aloe arms out in a loving gesture of friendship.
Jeremiah bent his aching body over the fence and lifted her to his trunk. Though his body hurt all over, he was glad to be alive and even happier to see her. He allowed himself to relax in peaceful gratitude and held and rocked his best friend for the longest time. As their energies merged, her soothing tranquility penetrated his hardened shell. She was the only thing that had ever truly made him happy. He had to find a way. He tried to speak the words, but for once in his life, he didn't know what to say, "Uh, Ginger?"
"Yes, Jeremiah."
"N-nothing." he blushed. Just thinking about the words he was about to say made his body tremble.
"Are you all right?" she asked.
"Sh-sure I am," he replied. "I just wanted to tell you, uh ... I mean you make me feel so, um-mm. Well, I really appreciate you."
Snuggling in a little closer, she smiled, "I appreciate you too Jeremiah."
Holding her in his arms felt so right. It was as if she were a part of him and always had been. Forgotten words began to flow with the gentleness of a stream through the hollow of a meadow, "I really like you Ginger," he said to the innocent aloe plant, "and I always have."
She pulled her head away from his trunk and looked directly into his eyes. "I like you too, Jeremiah. In fact, I adore you-you silly goof, and I always have." With the biggest grin on her face, she continued, "Now, let's see what we can do to fix you up." Ginger opened the tip of one of her medicine leaves and instructed Jeremiah to rub it on all of his open wounds. "You'll be as good as new." she encouraged him, giving him a big hug.
Squeezing her back, he smiled, "I'll be better than new. You'll see."
When they were finished doing the healing work, Jeremiah effortlessly bent what was left of his body over to the ground and placed Ginger in a bed of spring flowers.
"Wow, do you realize what you just did?" asked Ginger.
"Yes, I put you in with the flowers where you belong."
"No, you bent over further than any other tree has ever bent over before."
Like a stick of rubber, he did it again. "Hey, you're right." Limbering up, he twisted and curved in every direction and then heard a voice that welled deep from within him. It was his roots. "Because of your willingness to give, you have become more flexible Jeremiah. Take this gift and use it for good".
Jeremiah noticed the squirrel twins spying him through the bushes and gestured for them to come closer. "Hey, wanna go for a ride?"
Wagging their tails like puppies, they scampered over to within reaching distance of the rubbery tree.
"O.K., here we go," he said, scooping them up off of the ground. Just like a roller coaster, he waved his renewed limbs up, down and then around in a figure eight.
Remembering the frogs, Ginger put her hands on her hips and sternly warned, "J-e-r-e-m-i-a-h."
"Don't worry, I'm holding on to them."
"Wee-ee," squealed the squirrels in unison. "This is fun."
Ginger nudged the flower next to her, then just shook her head, "Boys will be boys."
When the ride was over, Jeremiah gently lowered the squirrels to the ground, gave them some of his fruit, patted them on the butt and sent them on their way.
Later the same day, much to Jeremiahs' surprise, the squirrels returned; but this time they brought friends with them. "Can we have rides too?" they begged.
"Sure!" Jeremiah said. Giving them rides one at a time, he was having as much fun as they were. Shrills of excitement echoed throughout the valley and captured the attention of the rest of the animals. Intrigued with curiosity, the ants quickly climbed aboard as the beaver impatiently waited his turn. The deer watched and dreamed of a future when Jeremiah would be big enough for them to enjoy too.
It was time for Ginger to go into the house. But when Melody came out to the courtyard to get her, Ginger was gone. "Where in the world?" the lovely young maiden started to say, then spotted her aloe plant on the other side of the fence. Melody went out through the gate and tip-toed through the wild-flowers, "How did you get over here?" Turning around, she saw the sadly broken tree with all of the animals gathered around it. "Oh, you poor thing," she said, rushing over to take a closer look.
Frightened by the human, the animals scattered and ran for safety. "Where is everyone going?" Jeremiah said to his new friends. "Come back, you don't have to leave."
Melody wrapped her arms around Jeremiah's trunk and said, "Don't worry Mr. Tree, I'll take care of you." Then she scooped Ginger up and took her home.
The next morning Melody came outside and placed Ginger in the bed of wildflowers exactly where Jeremiah had left her the day before. Melody unloaded her supplies and began the task of nursing Jeremiah back to health. Pulling out a spade and bone meal, she lovingly fed his roots nutrients to help Jeremiah grow strong and bountiful once again. She took large stakes and propped them up as crutches to support the weight of his remaining livelihood.
"She's really nice." Jeremiah said to Ginger. "Why did everyone run and hide?"
"Because not all humans are nice. Some of them would have just cut you down because they didn't think you were good enough, but Melody is special. Once the animals get to know her, they won't be frightened anymore. They'll be back."
After Melody finished her chores, she scurried back into the cottage to do what humans do. Jeremiah picked Ginger up and cradled her in his arms again. A couple of birds landed on his head and happily chirped the love song of spring. Weaving back and forth, he rhythmically swayed to their gift of new life. "Can you feel it?" he said to Ginger. "We are growing."
Measuring her arm to the length of yesterday, she discovered an accelerated rate of growth that bore more explanation. Then they both looked out upon the valley and realized that everyone was growing. A warm sensation caressed their thoughts as a powerful voice spoke to them. "That is the birds' special gift to the children of the earth."
Their imaginations roamed the valley in search of the voice. But when it continued, they knew that it was coming from everywhere at once. "The bird's singing carries a tone that generates growth. You have all been born with a gift that will enable you to help one another to thrive upon the earth."
Jeremiah's leaves sprang forth at unheard of speeds. Two popped out in every place that he had given one away; and then, the same thing happened to Ginger.
Time slipped away, and once again Jeremiah was a flourishing tree. The animals returned to his rootstep and frolicked in the joy of his limber lumber. With nowhere else to go, Jeremiah adopted the squirrel twins and invited them to live with him. He had finally learned the value of true friendship. As he freely gave himself to others he discovered the greatest reward of all ... and that was the sound of laughter and the smiles in their hearts. Jeremiah was loved, and indeed, he was growing. Amongst all of the other trees in the valley, he had become the biggest, the strongest and the most loved. He was a king amongst many kings.
One crisp morning, a brown and black, fuzzy caterpillar inched its way towards Jeremiah's highest branch. "I'm so happy." Jeremiah said to Ginger. "Do you remember the magical butterfly?"
"Yes," she replied.
"She was right all along ... all I really wanted was to give and to be loved. I think I have found my destiny." They both smiled and relaxed into the peaceful knowing that everything was going to be O.K.
"You are growing, young king," whispered Jeremiah's roots from within. "The Great Spirit did indeed bless you with a destiny, a special gift and now you are ready. Jeremiah, you are the breath of life. The precious leaves that you grow produce oxygen, and without oxygen, the earth would not be a living planet. You are a king of the earth. Breathe deep the nitrogen and exhale the oxygen."
Jeremiah smiled at Ginger and deeply inhaled the golden rays of the sun. Electromagnetic power surged throughout his body, activating him with the power of the universe. Relaxing, even more, he allowed the wisdom of the earth to rise from the soil into his roots. The nitrogen filtered through the veins of his leaves and turned into oxygen as he released it for all of the children of the earth to enjoy. That old familiar tingling sensation returned to tell him that he was on the right path, but this time, it didn't go away.
A nearby Meadow Lark sang the song of life. Their singing carries a beautiful tone that generates growth, echoed in his memory. "That's it," he said to Ginger. "The birds sing all day in the spring so that everything will grow and as the hotter summer months move in, the bird's seek shelter and sing mostly just in the morning. No wonder we grow so fast in the spring and slowdown in the summer." And then an even more profound meaning came to his understanding, and he could feel the relation. The tone that they emitted consisted of pure love energy. It was the same as the oxygen that he produced - you couldn't see it, but it affected everyone that it came in contact with. "I love you, Ginger," he confessed, placing her on the other side of the fence before Melody could discover her missing.
Just then Melody skipped around the corner, scooped Ginger up, nodded her head to Jeremiah and headed for the front door. Peering over Melody's shoulder, Ginger winked and silently said, "I love you too."
As Jeremiah absorbed his surroundings, he saw a valley filled with heroes, each a king in his or her own right. A true king is a leader and takes control of his destiny, but he does not do it by force; instead, he lives it by example. Destiny, he finally realized, is not something that we search for, it is something that we live. As he viewed all of earth's creatures, he saw individuals becoming one; one in thought, one in purpose. Interconnected and entwined, everyone's destiny was the same; they were all there to help one another to love and to grow.
"You are growing, Jeremiah," spoke his roots with deep understanding. "Step inside of yourself and come see what your teacher sees."
"I don't understand." he conveyed. "I can only see out here."
"With your eyes, this is true. But when you look with your heart - you will feel everything that I see. It's easier than you think, you were just doing it and didn't even realize it. Put your mind to rest and allow me to shine through."
Jeremiah's attention was diverted to a nearby city made entirely of sand. He had never noticed it before, probably because it was so small and ants didn't seem to be of much significance to Jeremiah. But looking at them with his heart, their lives took on an entirely new meaning and what a story they had to tell! It was the story of cooperation and harmony. It was a story of life as it was meant to be lived.
The entire ant community was one for all and all for one. They worked together in perfect harmony, with each ant having his own unique job. No job was more important than another; for they knew that if they did not cooperate with one each other, it was everyone that would suffer. They had hunters, guards, warriors, and even poop carriers. Inside was the queen and nursemaids to take care of her young. There were construction workers in there, always digging, making sure that there would be enough room for the continuously growing population. Jeremiah thought of the consequences if even one ant did not do the job that it was born to do. Without any hunters, they would starve. Without the warriors and guards, greedy intruders would cause havoc and pain. Without the nursemaids to continually care for the eggs, the queen would be too busy to lay new eggs, and they would cease to exist. He even found extreme value in the common refuse carriers; because without them, soon the entire city would be full of ... well, you know ... and everyone would drown in it.
"Everything that we do, we are here to do with love." continued his roots. "Look at the honey bee and feel his dance."
Jeremiah intently watched a swarm of honey bees doing their jobs. Hovering over the delicate flowers, they sipped of the pollen and then took it back to the bee-hive. Like the ants, everyone had their jobs. The bees didn't wish that they were somebody else or that they could do anything different other than what they had been born to do, because they knew; without the flower, the honey bee would starve, and without the honey bee to pollinate it, the flower would cease to exist.
"Is everyone connected to each other?" asked Jeremiah.
"Yes," replied his roots. "Look about you and find all of the ways that you are connected."
He peered into the distance and saw his mother proudly basking in the sun; he was a part of her, and she a part of him. Jeremiah felt his roots tugging at his feet and looked down to the ground. Gaia beckoned his attention. Joined in a web of love, he understood that the earth was there for him and he was there for her. The magical butterfly landed on his head and then fluttered off to spread joy to everyone else. "What would life be like without the color of happiness?" She needed him to grow and be transformed, and he needed her to remind him of the beauty of creation. Feeling the warmth of the sun, Jeremiah gazed up into the sky. Without the sun, he would live in darkness, without the moon, there would be no light at all.
Scanning the valley, he observed all of the other trees happy just being trees. It didn't seem to matter to them who sat on their branches or who ate of their fruits; it was why they were there. It was why they were born. Humbled by the experience, being a king didn't seem to matter anymore.
A white dove landed on Jeremiah's branch and the love he was feeling lapsed into a peaceful knowing that all was well. "I'm proud of you." the bird said to Jeremiah.
Though he didn't recognize her, he knew they had met before. "Do I know you?" he asked.
"Yes," she replied. "We've always been together, I am your teacher. In the beginning, I spoke to you through the tree of life. You have known me as a caterpillar and watched me sprout wings and fly. I have taught you the magic that lives within everyone and demonstrated that with faith, anything is possible. I am here now to carry your message of love throughout the earth. To let them know that peace is what they have come here to learn and that love is the only way that it is possible."
Jeremiah thanked her for all that she had done and wished her courage for what she was about to do. But as he did, the earth began to shake beneath his trunk, and a low distant roar warned him that danger was on its way. The wind blew, and an uneasy feeling nipped at his leaf-tips. "What's going on?" he said to the bird now hovering above him. "What's happening?"
She compassionately looked down at the brave tree, then up at the impending danger. "I have to go now Jeremiah. Remember all that you have learned, there are no accidents. Everything that you have been through has been for a reason," and she flew away.