One afternoon, while going through scales with a timid little nine-year-old girl, there had been a knock at her door. The captain of the Sea Rescue Institute, Ethan, was standing there, looking stricken. They had known each other most of their lives, he was about ten years older than she and Joel, but they had spent so much time at the sea they had got to know everyone at the institute really well. The news he told her shattered them both.
They had received news that a boat fitting the description of Joel’s boat had run into a storm and capsized about four weeks ago. A passing cruise liner had witnessed it but had been unable to offer any assistance during their own predicament in the storm. They had radioed for help and sent up flairs. By the time the storm had calmed there was no sign of the boat or crew. A search had been going on up until a week ago for remnants of the boat and its crew. Nothing had been found, but they were not getting any signal from Joel’s boat. No-one had been in contact with them since just before the storm.
Ethan choked back a sob and hugged Grace, apologising for the bad news. She collapsed wordlessly into his arms and he helped her to a chair. He left her momentarily to help the little girl call her mother and waited with her until her mother arrived before returning to Grace to offer his support and condolences. Grace’s mother arrived just then, and one look at her daughter’s face told her that her whole world had just fallen apart. Ethan explained to her what had happened, told her he would be in touch if any further news cropped up, and left. Grace’s mother took her daughter in her arms and held her as she sobbed.
Grace continued to teach, but she walked around in a stupor of sadness, her lifeless eyes just reflecting pain and loss. Her mother was so worried; Grace had always been the quintessence of eternal optimism, serenity and wisdom beyond her years. This was the first she had ever seen her daughter so bereft and without the will to do anything other than exist from day to day. No one could reach her. Slowly her students dwindled, their parents empathised with Grace, but she was not a positive influence to their children and their music practice had been affected.
After six months she began to pull herself together, ever so slightly. She took a little bit of pride in her appearance again and began playing her violin, which she had abandoned the day she had received the devastating news. It had been almost a year since she had stood on the beach and watched Joel sail away, watching the words ‘Amazing Grace’ getting smaller and smaller.
One morning, the anniversary of the day Joel left, she got up, suddenly driven by something she couldn’t interpret. She dressed quickly and ran down to the beach. She climbed to the top of the sand dune and sat quietly. She felt the universe wanted to tell her something - something important. She sat quietly, eyes closed, shutting out all thought and just listening. She heard: ‘Open your eyes, Grace!’ She obeyed, and as she squinted against the sun she was sure she was imagining it, but there seemed to be a boat on the horizon.
Her heart started pounding but she told herself to stop the foolishness. It was her heart playing tricks on her because of the significance of that day. Still, she could not tear her eyes away from the horizon. In a few minutes there was no doubt, there definitely was a boat. She dared not hope, she told herself it could be any boat. Boats came and went all the time in their harbour. Yet she was rooted to the spot, willing herself to leave and spare herself the heartache, but unable to move a muscle. In half an hour it was in full view, and Grace’s heart leaped with joy as it passed and she read those beautiful words: ‘Amazing Grace.’
She jumped up and sprinted down the beach as fast as she could go to the harbour. Ethan had seen her running, but had not seen Joel’s boat. He hurried down to Grace, concerned that she may be having a meltdown; he knew what this day was. As he approached he saw the look on her face and followed her gaze as the Amazing Grace came around the corner and into full view. Joel stood at the bow while Simon steered her into dock.
He leaped off as soon as he was near enough and ran to sweep Grace into his arms. They cried and laughed and hugged each other. He promised he would never ever leave her again. Everyone in the harbour came rushing down and crowded Simon and Joel, who was holding tightly onto Grace, oblivious of the crowd. Everyone had heard of their disappearance and the whole town had been in mourning. Ethan had asked them to back away and give Joel and Grace some space. There would be plenty of time for questions later.
Joel left her side for a moment, intending to help Simon moor the boat and unpack, but Ethan stepped in front of him. He told him to take his lady home and he and the rest of the Sea Rescue staff would sort the boat out. He ordered Simon to go home as well.
The following morning as Joel and Grace woke up; they heard a commotion outside the cabin. The beach in front of the cabin was swarming with photographers, journalists and all the villagers. It was a huge mix of welcome home celebrations and squabbling for front page stories. Joel decided that he would give one speech to all at once, get it over with, no individual interviews. He just wanted to rest and recover and bask in the glow of Grace’s love. He got dressed and then stood on the veranda with Grace beside him and recounted his story.
He and Simon had set sail, full of excitement. All had gone well for the first two months of their voyage. Sailing had been a breeze; they had visited many exotic places. One afternoon, just towards the end of their third month at sea, and about the time they were have meant to head for home, huge storm clouds had begun to gather and approached rapidly. They were far off from any continent, or so they thought - they had not too long ago left the islands but thought they had sailed a good distance away already. They braced themselves to push through the storm.
Huge swells pounded their boat. They tried to pull down the sails before the gales hit but were just bringing down the main sail when a huge gust ripped it free of their grasp and tore it from the mast. They had still been struggling with this as a rogue wave hammered the side of the Amazing Grace and capsized her, flinging Joel and Simon into the water. By grace alone, they managed to grab hold of the side of the boat and clamber up. They had both put on their life jackets when they had seen the clouds gathering. They were battered by waves for what seemed like forever. It was pitch dark, and they had lost their flares. They both thought they had seen another boat or ship’s lights, but as suddenly as they had appeared, they disappeared. All Joel and Simon could do was cling to the boat and pray.
Then, as quickly as the storm had appeared, it passed. Weak and shaken, they lay on top of the capsized boat, which miraculously had not sunk yet. The sun came back out and warmed them and slowly they had begun to gather their thoughts and between the two of them had tried to figure out what to do. Not too long after they saw land approaching and realised they were being carried by the current towards it. Night approached and they prepared for a long, frightening, cold and wet ordeal.
As dawn arrived they saw that they had drifted into shallow water and they were able to anchor the capsized boat and swim ashore. They would work out how to get the boat to shore once they had recuperated and gained a bit of strength. They had no idea where they were. Wherever it was it was very remote and unspoiled. In fact, there didn’t seem to be any form of buildings or civilisation at all. Too tired to explore, they both collapsed, exhausted, onto the sand.
After a few hours they went in search of shelter for the night. When they had found somewhere reasonably enclosed, they swam out to the boat to scavenge any food they could find. They took turns diving under the boat and hauling out whatever they could grab in the space of time that they could hold their breath. They managed to fish out a few tins and some chocolate bars before returning to shore.
The next morning they ventured out to see if they could trace where they were and find other people. They came across a small village, which, while not entirely uncivilised, was not very advanced as far as technology, and amenities were concerned. It was a settlement of possibly two hundred people, all who had relocated to this small island in search of an alternative life
style to that from which they had come on the mainland. ‘Flower children’ they liked to be called, not ‘hippies’. They were peace warriors, living naturalist lifestyles in a commune-type village. They were opposed to war, capitalism and all forms of stereotyping and conformity. They grew their own food, made their own clothes from natural fibres – when they actually wore any clothes at all – and shared responsibilities of raising and educating their children.
They stood for love, respect and equality and dreamed of a world free of violence and greed. Where they had come from, they had been outcasts – ridiculed and prosecuted for their ways that were seen as rebellious and antagonistic. When they protested against abuse or for equal rights they were subjected to physical attacks by the authorities. Many had been wounded. Young teenagers had been ostracised by their peers and families. The first fifty who decided that enough was enough had set sail for the island three years before, seeking to create a sanctuary for like-minded children of the Earth who had no place in conventional society.
Sanctuary: the word alone seemed to embrace the person who spoke it, engulfing them in peace, providing comfort. You could see it in the eyes of each person who told their story of finding their way to the sanctuary. It was not only a physical place of refuge, but peace within a person’s heart.
Once the settlement had been established, the elders went back to the mainland to fetch others needing escape. Even now, new flower children found their way to the island each time the supply boats made their visits – they were not quite self-sufficient on the island. There were still a few items they needed to purchase, but in time they hoped that need would be eliminated as their resources grew.
Joel recounted the immediate peace he had felt when entering the sanctuary. One of the elders, he called himself Logan, welcomed them in and offered them a place to stay. Their accommodations were very simple, but very beautiful –made from wood and reeds, mud and straw bales. The rooms were all built facing inwards surrounding the inner gathering area where many of the families were interacting quietly. There was a serene ambience: everyone spoke quietly and calmly, even the children playing were gentle and peaceful. People were lazing in hammocks or sitting quietly in meditation, others were playing instruments, quietly and ethereally.
Joel and Simon were offered breakfast which they gratefully accepted. They were given fruit, nuts and freshly baked bread. The inhabitants lived vegan lifestyles on the island; they didn’t keep animals for providing food in any form. After breakfast Logan asked them to share their story and offered to help in any way they could. They decided that they would take a team of strong men down to the beach that afternoon and try to bring the Amazing Grace in and turn her right side up. They would do their best to help salvage her so that Joel and Simon could sail her home.
Logan explained that their supply ship only visited once every six months and so if anything was needed they would need to wait, but would be most welcome to live in the sanctuary until then. Joel was grateful, but devastated. He just wanted to get home to Grace. There wasn’t any form of communication with the outside world so Joel couldn’t get in contact with Grace in any way to let her know he was safe. He would never leave her again if he could get to her safely.
They ended up having a revolutionary experience living among the Flower Children and learning their ways of life. There were definitely principles that Joel felt aligned with his own and ways of living that he could adopt. Simon found his niche with those responsible for growing produce, he helped wherever he could and tried his hand at cooking and discovered his culinary skills were greater than he thought they were. He may have found his calling.
Joel used the time to search within himself. He participated in morning and evening meditations and yoga and when he allowed the thoughts back after clearing his mind, he focused all of his energy on the dream he and Grace had planted all those years ago. Both of them had realised their individual dreams, and now the most important one he prayed he would have an opportunity to realise. He spent a lot of time with the musicians and craftsmen, honing the talents he already had.
Eventually the supply ship arrived and they were able to fix their boat. It took about a month before they were satisfied that she was ready for the trip home. It took them a full two months to travel home because they took a slow trip just to be safe, and took a longer route home, hugging coastlines as much as possible.
Through the long trip home all he could think of was Grace, and their love for each other. It was her love guiding him home as the stars had led sailors in ancient times before him.
Joel’s audience had been silent and awe struck throughout his recount but when he had finished the reporters started snapping away with their cameras and surrounding him all trying to have their individual questions answered. Joel told them that he had already given them all the information and would not be conducting any further interviews. He wanted to be left in peace, to claim his own sanctuary with Grace and he asked that everyone respect their right to privacy. He also would not give the location of the island where he and Simon had been out of respect for the privacy of the people who had been so generous with their hospitality.
From then on Joel and Grace were inseparable – as they had been when they were children. The years apart melted away between them and their love grew and blossomed into a commitment to each other that came before anything else. Through their travels and searching they had found and established their individuality and were able to maintain that within the union of their relationship. They were neither dependent on each other to define themselves nor so independent that there was no need for the other. Instead, they stood together, two strong individuals with a shared dream and a mutual commitment to that dream.
Grace began to teach music again and Joel free-lanced as a research scientist. He was able to conduct most of his research locally and if he needed to travel he only agreed if Grace was able to go with him. His writings on his research of the marine world were sought after globally and he was considered a leader in his field of expertise.
That first Spring full moon after he arrived back from his time at sea, they honoured their ritual and picnicked under the oak. They were both now twenty eight years old. As they sat under the tree, Joel opened a bottle of champagne and poured a glass for each of them. He began to toast their love and journey and paused briefly, rising to his feet and taking Grace’s hand gently lifting her to hers. He led her just beneath the tree and turned her towards the moon, then he got down on one knee and asked her to spend the rest of their lives together, with her as his wife. They both cried and celebrated by dancing under the full moon.
They got married in a small ceremony in the park beneath the tree, attended only by both sets of parents. This tree had become such an important part of their lives. It represented their dream, grown on the solid foundation of their love and commitment and so it had felt the most natural thing to include the tree in their ceremony. As it grew, the sense of magic, hope and possibility that surrounded it grew as well. Two years later, their daughter, Jessica had been born. They held her christening ceremony beneath the tree as well. As she grew they spent many days and many spring full moons picnicking with her, telling her the story of their relationship and how they had planted the tree. She loved to hear it over and over. She spent hours climbing in the tree, or having tea parties with her dolls beneath it. For their family, this tree represented all that was stable and true. The tree was maturing well. It would be a few more years still before it would start producing acorns.
When Jessica was ten years old the magical moment arrived. They were celebrating her tenth birthday in the park with all of her school friends when the first acorn fell. Jessica was over the moon. She felt her birthday had been blessed by the tree and she treasured that acorn. She vowed to keep it forever - it was her lucky charm. She kept it on her desk when she wrote her exams and it had a soft velvet pouch that she kept it in. Jessica was a unique child. She held a good balance of all the
good qualities of both her parents. She had Grace’s gentle and artistic nature, but shared Joel’s wanderlust and spirit of adventure. She was both logical and creative and excelled at anything she attempted. She was beautiful and, like her mother, very popular with the boys, but also just as uninterested. When she left school she studied teaching and met her husband in her final year of study. She had struggled to fall pregnant. She spent many full moon nights beneath the oak tree affirming her dream of having a baby.
Eventually, just before she turned thirty, James had been conceived – her miracle baby. Just as her parents had with her, she spent many days picnicking with James beneath the tree, telling him about her childhood. The heartache and pressure of trying to fall pregnant had put a great strain on Jessica’s marriage and she and James’ father had gotten divorced when James was three years old. He had moved away to find other work, and found another wife, and instant family, instead. He still visited James once a month, but their relationship lacked the close bond he had with his mother and grandparents.
Grace and Joel would join them frequently and James loved to sit on Granddad Joel’s lap and listen to their story. Grandparent’s stories were always much more interesting than your own parents stories. He particularly liked the sense of magic and mystery surrounding the tree and believed with all his heart that the tree made dreams come true. After all, both his grandparents’ dreams had come true.
Now, at eight years old, it was his turn to find the tree’s magic. They were all intrigued with his idea of giving acorns to as many people as he could. Throughout their family history, none of them had thought to share the tree’s magic with anyone other than themselves. Not for selfish reasons, it had just never occurred to them. It had always just been an intimate family ritual that they had not thought would have significance to anyone else. They still were not sure how James’ initiative would be taken by everyone else, but they supported him in his venture even though they did not fully understand where his idea was coming from. He was so pensive most of the time and didn’t tell them too much. In fact, they were all surprised he had shared as much as he had with Chloe.
Harvesting Acorns Page 8
