Once upon a time in the forest

Inspiration

By Charles Towne

Once upon a time in the forest an acorn fell to the ground and lay there. Oh, how it bemoaned its fate imagining it could go no lower. It had reached the very depths of despair.

A squirrel, scavenging for food, found the little acorn and picked it up. The acorn thought to itself, “WHOOPEE, I am saved; no longer must I lay here in the dirt and dust all covered by leaves; now I shall be restored to the top of the tree where I belong.”

But, ’the best-laid plans of mice, men', and little acorns oft times go awry, for the squirrel began digging.

The hole that the squirrel dug was not much of a hole as holes go. No grand canyon-esque hole, huh uh, nope. It was quite an insignificant hole, a little tiny baby hole, a hole just-right-for-burying-acorns sort of hole.

The squirrel dropped the acorn into the hole and with no fanfare, unceremoniously began filling in the hole.

The little acorn gave a little cry of terror. (It should be noted that you have to listen very carefully to hear an acorn say anything and this was a very tiny acorn so not even the squirrel heard it.)

Now, lying in this hole, the acorn knew that it had fallen as far as an acorn could fall.

The acorn lay there under the ground and wondered if it would ever again be able to be a healthy acorn and hang high in the air and feel the rain and the wind.

Time passed.

If the little acorn could have wished itself free of its earthly prison it would have been back up there on its branch many times. But no, it was not to be, for the little acorn was where it was meant to be.

One day, after the little acorn had accepted its fate and had ‘adjusted’ to its station in life, it felt something strange, a stirring within, a bursting forth, an exploding!

“What is happening to me?” it shouted in its little, tiny acorn voice.

The acorn felt itself expanding, and it realized that its beautiful shell was splitting.

“Oh, I am destroyed, I am to be no more!” And it wondered if this was what it was like to die.

And time passed.

And one day the little acorn woke to realize that it was no longer under the ground!

Something wonderful had happened; something the little acorn couldn’t explain.

The little acorn was no longer a little acorn.

And eventually, after much time had passed, the little acorn became a mighty oak tree with lots and lots of little acorns of its own, and some of those little acorns became oak trees.

Hmmm, people are sorta’ like little acorns, don’t you think?

Jesus lived his life in a way that brought greater life and love to the world, and he urged us, if we truly want to live the fullest life possible, to follow his lead.

Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you’ll have it forever, real and eternal. John 12:24-25 (Message)

Charles Towne is first and foremost a Christian. An octogenarian, author, journalist, wildlife photographer, naturalist, caregiver, and survivor, his life has been and continues to be, a never-ending adventure filled with possibilities never imagined. He has adopted the philosophy that to Live fully, laugh uproariously, love passionately, and learn like there is no tomorrow, is a formula for a long and joy-filled life.