This blog is about the experiential program Evolution of Self; Journey into Mind, Body, Spirit Balance. It discusses different aspects of the program and gives followers a forum to ask questions and express their opinions. I also share ways to connect to your higher Self and your Divine purpose, thoughts of life, family stories, poetry and other uplifting content. Thanks for stopping by,
By C. S. Roberts
"Hi everyone! I'm here to tell you about some friends of mine. Their names are Sam, Mary and Jenny. They are great friends who have all sorts of adventures and fun together. I met them one day while I was sitting with some of my animal and fairy friends in the deep woods. Sometimes I go with them on their magical sojourns.
Who am I you ask? Well, my name is... gosh, I'm not sure how to say it in your language, just call me KOL that means Keeper of the leaves, cause that's what I be.
Tale of Sam, Mary, Jenny and Elliot
The day was beautiful, not too warm, not too cool
but just the right temperature to make one want go on an adventure, so the
friends had decided to take a hike in the woods just outside town. They were
four in number, Jenny, Mary, Elliot and Sam. Sam was the tacit leader, and the
rest usually went along with whatever he wanted to do. Of all of them Jenny
would stand up to Sam more than the other two. Today Sam had suggested that
there were secrets to be discovered in the woods and, because it did sound so
appealing and Jenny was game, they all thought the idea was sound.
They struck out early in the morning with no real
plan or preparation but, at the time, that didn’t seem important. The mist was
rising from the wooded valley below lending a feel of mystery and anticipation
to the trip. The road out of town was rather boring because they saw it every
day but just on the other side of the city limit sign the group became very
interested in the landscape through which they trudged. The woods moved in
close to the road with the ferns and undergrowth creating enticing paths that
beckoned to the children. The further away from town they went, the thicker and
greener the forest became. With Sam in the lead, they passed many an
interesting path until he found one that he just could not ignore.
As he turned down what seemed to be a trail for game,
probably used by the animals of the forest, probably deer, he realized that the others had
stopped. Turning to see what had caught their attention Sam had to laugh at the
looks of awe on their faces. The wonder of the forest had them spellbound. He
cleared his throat to startle them back to the adventure at hand and they fell
in behind him. The deeper into the woods they went, the more their excitement
grew. Their senses were tingling, and they were both afraid to proceed and
anxious to push on all at the same time. The smell of rich damp loam mixed with
the tangy sent of conifers of all types was tinged with the sweet fragrance of woodland flowers, delighting their senses and drawing them on.
Sam pushed limbs and twigs out of the way holding them
for the next one to take their turn holding it for the one following. There
were odd looking plants that were flowers, mushrooms and other things the children had never seen before. They were of all sizes and shapes just off the
path that intrigued Mary and Jenny, but the boys took no notice. By now Elliot
and Sam were walking abreast so that they could decide on a strategy for their
exploration while Mary and Jenny brought up the rear. The girls were caught up
in picking some of the wildflowers that grew along the trail. They had wisely
decided not to mess with the mushrooms because they had heard that some of them
were poisonous and they didn't know which were which. While the boys lead the
way, accentuating their conversation
with sword play, provided by sticks that had presented themselves for the
fencing pleasure of imaginative adventurers.
The deeper into the lush woods they went the deeper
the twilight under the trees became. The four, being so interested in their
conversations that the passing of time wasn’t noticed until the sun began to
lower enough for them to become aware how late it had actually gotten. As the
children began to realize where they were and how late it had become, their
voices fell quiet, and they started to pay attention to their surroundings a
bit closer. Their foot falls were silent on the tree needles that carpeted the
ground from many generations of shedding and new growth and shedding again. The nocturnal animals that were beginning to
stir were frighteningly loud and not being able to see them, made even the
smallest rodent sound huge. The eerie hooting of the owls made the hair on the
children's necks stand on end and to top it off, Mary and Jenny were becoming
hungry, tired and a bit frightened. This led them to complain to Sam, who was
beginning to heartily regret his suggestion of the day. Elliot was blessedly
quiet as he went on ahead, oblivious to the apprehensions of his friends. They
had all grown tired and the evening was becoming uncomfortably cool, not to
mention that the girls talk about food had their attention riveted on the fact
that they had not eaten in hours nor had any of them had the foresight to bring
food with them.
Sam was just about to admit that they were lost and
suggest that they try to retrace their steps when Elliot, who had gotten way
ahead, came pounding back down the path, exclaiming excitedly that he had found
something amazing. All discomfort and fear was forgotten with the announcement
and everyone hurried after Elliot to see what the find was.
Not much farther down the trail they had been following,
right in the middle of it stood the largest tree any of them had ever seen. It
was so tall that they could not see the top of it and the branches spread out
for what seemed to be miles, totally blocking out the sky as far as they could
see. The large strong branches were gnarled and whorled from many years in the
weather and they held the nests of many beautifully colored birds that hopped,
flew and fluttered all about. Some of them even swooped down to investigate the
children and take their findings back to the others in the upper reaches. The
tree's roots stood high out of the
ground where they were close to the massive trunk, some of them were as high as
Sam’s waist. The bark was thick and crackled which made convenient pathways for
the myriad insects busily going about their own little buggy business ignoring
the children who were pointing at and discussing them. If the friends had joined
hands in an attempt to encircle the trunk, the four of them would not have been
able to girdle even an eighth of it. But none of these things were the exciting
part. In the center of the trunk was what looked like a door drawn in light.
Mary, Jenny and Sam didn’t see it right away but when Elliot pointed it out,
they wondered why it was there and how they had missed it. The light was yellow
and very shiny and against the rough dark bark it should have been visible for
a long way away. There did not seem to be any windows like the ones you would
find in a proper shelter, but the door was just so inviting and it was getting
cold enough for the children so see their breath in puffs of white mist as they
spoke.
None of them were sure what to do with the door but
doors are meant to be opened right? So, Elliot put his hand on the tree trunk
door and pushed. The mysterious door swung open silently and the children found
themselves looking into a very large brightly lit and empty room. By now the
temperature outside was unpleasantly cold and dampness had joined in to make it
very uncomfortable, so the promise of light and warmth drew the four friends
inside and the door closed behind them without any help or sound. Panicked,
they pushed and pulled the place where it had been and, to their relief, it
opened again. Satisfied that they were not imprisoned in the tree they all sat
down with their backs leaning against the walls to decide what they should do
with this new situation.
Mary and Jenny began to feel hungry again and told
the others that they sure would be thankful for a cheeseburger and some fries.
No sooner had they finished speaking than cheeseburgers and fries appeared in
their laps. They were all still gawping at the food when Elliot decided that he
could be thankful for a large bowl of ice cream which he received on the spot.
As they exchanged looks of disbelief, Sam demanded a turkey sandwich and
nothing happened. After some discussion and replay of events, Mary suggested
that he be appropriately thankful for the food, and he just might get it. As it
turned out, she was right and after Sam rephrased his request, the sandwich
appeared in his hand. The ravenous explorers ate in silence until all had
finished their food.
Then their discussion began. After much talk and conjecture about the
magic door, tree and food the group decided to see what else they may need to ask
the tree for. Jenny suggested that because it was dark outside and they would
not be able to see their way out of the woods, they should just stay where they
were until morning. All of them hoped that their parents would not worry. There
was nothing children could do if they did except try to explain when they got
back home.
That decided, and since all were in agreement, the four
of them started making suggestions about
what they would require, with gratitude of course, to make their stay
comfortable. Each one tried to ask for something to make the tree feel and look
more like home. The first thing each of them wanted was a bed. They quickly
discovered that they had to be touching the wall of the tree when they made
their request as well as have a very clear picture in their mind of just what
they wanted. With one hand on the wall of the tree and their idea firmly in
mind each watched in awe as the beds came out of nowhere. It started out sort
of misty and, as the child held the picture of their bed firmly in their mind,
the mist solidified into a useable bed. By adding gratitude to that process,
soon each of them had their own room furnished with a comfortable bed and
everything else they needed for an overnight stay. The mental exercise on top
of the long walk and filling repast had the friends very tired and, after
saying good night to each other and the tree, all were soon deeply asleep.
The next morning Sam, Mary, Jenny and Elliot woke
refreshed and a little surprised to find themselves still in the tree. As they
discussed the fact that each one of them thought it had all been a dream, they
requested and got a wonderful breakfast from their awesome new friend the tree.
Mary pointed out that since they had all been away for the entire night their
parents would probably be very worried and that they should get home as quickly
as they could to avoid more worry than they had already caused. Each of them
reached out a hand to the tree and thanked it for taking such good care of them
and bid the beautiful room goodbye. To their amazement, everything vanished,
just dimmed until it was not to be seen. Their things, beds, the room the door
and…the huge, enormous, beautiful tree all gone into nowhere and the four were
left standing at the edge of the road into town with the sun setting, staring
bug-eyed at each other as their parents drove up to collect them, just a little concerned because
of the hour. It was the same day as when they had started their adventure!
Each of them, Sam, Mary, Jenny and Elliot, made a quick
vow to each other not to tell about the tree. Who would believe it anyway? The
children said good-bye to each other and climbed into their family cars to be
taken back home to remember and wonder and hope to see the tree again.
© 2013 Chessie Roberts, all rights reserved
Chessie Roberts is a Singer/song Writer, Spiritual
Teacher, Mind-set Mentor, Meditation Coach, Author, Wiccan Minister, Lecturer and the Founder/Creator of Evolution of
Self: Journey into Body, Mind, Spirit Balance. Her experience with severe, crippling
arthritis was her catalyst to share her healing, experiential, self-improvement
program with those who wish to rediscover their balance of Body, Mind, Spirit. This
creation gave her the writing bug and so the Sam, Mary, Jenny and Elliot Stories
were created.
.
More of "Stories From The Front Porch Book"
by C. S. Roberts (c) 2025
MARK AND JOSIES 60TH ANNIVERSARY
as told by Chessie and Dave
(c) 2025 all rights reserved
We, Dave, the children and I had decided to go to Mississippi
to surprise Memaw and Papaw on the occasion of their sixtieth wedding
anniversary. We loaded up the old white station wagon with everything we would
need for the overnight and part day drive and started off. We traveled by night
because the traffic was better and the children would sleep, at least one of
them would. Mark would be asleep before we left the driveway. Shelby, on the
other hand, would stay up all night and her endless chatter helped the person
driving keep their eyes open.
The trip was uneventful, and we arrived at the house just as
Josie was starting to fix lunch. She was busy at the worktable in the kitchen
and didn’t hear us drive up. We cautioned the children to be quiet and all four
of us slipped in through the back door in the den. Memaw had her back to us, so
didn’t see us as I put Shelby down and told Mark to take her hand and go into
the kitchen and say hi to their great grandmother. The children toddled in and
stood watching her until she became aware that they were standing beside her.
She gave a little start, whirled around to face us and cried, “How did you get
here? Mad—dlone! Come look who’s here! Come quick! How DID you get here?” The
look on her face was well worth the drive. Momma wasn’t even sure we could make
it, so she was surprised to see us too. We found out that Papaw was at the
store, so we’d get to do the surprise bit again when he got home. Dave decided
to hide the car, it would have been a sure giveaway, so he drove it down the
hill a bit just to get it out of sight. The ruse worked perfectly, and Papaw
walked into a house full of grandchildren and great grandchildren that he was
thrilled to see.
The celebration was the next day so, after unloading the car
and settling into our respective spaces, we pitched in to help set up. There
were napkins to spiral, crystal and silver to polish, china to wash, best
tablecloths to locate and iron, vegetables to arrange artistically and the list
went on and on. I wondered if we would be finished in time but, by bedtime, all
was ready for the influx of guests. The only thing left to do was get some rest
and dress up for the party in the morning.
The day dawned beautiful in all ways, temperature, sunshine,
flowers, we could not have planned it better. Even though I had helped prepare
the decorations I was amazed by how lovely everything looked for this very
special party. People started arriving at one in the afternoon and there was so
much visiting and eating, picture taking and comparing of children that it
seemed to go on for hours. It was so nice to see all the aunts, uncles and
cousins again and of course, no one knew we would be there, so our surprise was
added to the excitement. Soon everyone had left except the family and Papaw’s
three brothers and their wives.
William, Papaw’s next to the oldest brother was tall and
lanky with the distinct McMullan nose and thinning grey hair. He didn’t talk
much but when he did it was always worth listening to. He was a farmer who raised livestock and just
enough of a garden to feed the family and a few neighbors. Jack, the oldest, was much shorter than the
rest but you could see the family resemblance strongly, He laughed a lot and
had grand stories to tell too. Miley, the youngest, was not as short as Jack
but he was defiantly bigger around. His family resemblance was there but not as
pronounced as the other boys. He worked
for the Mississippi state highway department and sometimes helped William and
Mark with projects they had going on.
They all loved to get together and tell stories. More than that they
loved to play a good joke on each other. This day was no exception and while us
gals were visiting in the kitchen; all the guys were visiting in the living
room. I wasn’t in there to hear this part, so I’ll let Dave tell you about the
conversation that happened.
“Well. Like Chessie said, all the men were talking in the
living room. Everybody tried to talk at once for a while then no one had
anything to say. You know how that happens some time when a bunch of people get
together to visit. Well, in that break…
“William said to no one in particular, “I think someone has
been messing around out on the property. I was walking through the meadow,
checking around the back gate where we bring the cows from one field to the
other, when I noticed that the weeds looked driven over. I don’t go out there
much anymore and never drive through, so it sort of stood out as being used. I
started looking closer to see if there had been trash or anything thrown around
and there in the middle of the old road, someone had been scratching in the
dirt. I got nearer and in the middle of the little disturbed place, someone had
planted this funny looking little plant. I don’t think whoever did it was much
of a farmer.”
Jack asked, “What makes you say that?”
“Well,” William replied, “They didn’t work the dirt enough to
do any good and it looked like they dumped about a cup of water beside it
instead of around it like they should have. I don’t think it’ll make up very
well. Probably won’t even live. But it sure looked strange.”
Miley wanted to know if maybe “it’s somethin’ that shouldn’t
be there do you suppose?”
William said. “I’m guessing that’s what it’s got to be.” No
one wanted to say the plant type. It was like they were afraid if someone said
it, the police would fall out of the walls and arrest us all.
Papaw chimed in with, “Did you call the cops? You need to get
that stuff out of there!”
“Naw, I don’t think I’m gonna’ call the police just yet. I
want to fertilize and water it and see just what it’ll do.”
Every voice in the room called out together, “I don’t think
that’s such a good idea, get rid of it!”
Jack sat forward in his chair and, with great concern in his
voice asked, “William, why in the world would you want to do that? You’re
eighty-six and don’t need to be messin’ with stuff like that.
William just smiled back and told him, “Well if it does
everything that the kids says that it does for them, I want to see what it can
do for me.” Then he broke out in such loud laughter that everyone knew that he
had been teasing about the whole thing.
He had found a marijuana plant in the field
but had no intention of keeping it. He
had called the police to report the “crime”. They did an investigation into the
felonious planting, but we never did find out who had done it. But, like
William said, “He wasn’t much of a farmer.”
VOICE
C. S. Roberts (C) 2016
I am the voice of Nature,
Mountain, plain and lake.
I am the voice of Nature,
I sing the world awake.
I am the voice of People,
Together we all ache.
I am the voice of People,
I sing the world awake.
I am the voice of Creatures All,
Condor, Eagle, Snake.
I am the voice of Creatures All,
I sing the world awake.
I am the voice of Spirit,
With you each step you take.
I am the voice of Spirit,
I sing the world awake.
I am the voice of Universe,
That galaxies do make.
I am the voice of Universe,
I sing the world awake.
I am the voice of Love and Light,
The Darkness I do Break.
I am the voice of Love and Light,
I sing the world awake.
