Autumn resources

A lovely story for this time of the year I like to share with you.


The Little Seed’s Journey


Once there was a lovely green meadow high up in the distant mountains. In summer the meadow was filled with every kind of beautiful flower—yellow and white daisies, blue cornflowers, purple lupines, orange and red paintbrushes, and pink and white

wild orchids. This meadow was filled with abundant life! The fairies came to play and dance day and night. Allkinds of birds, big and little, swooped over and through the trees, singing all manner of songs.

Butterflies and bees visited the flowers every day and chased the golden sunbeams dancing through the meadow.

In the midst of this field of flowers there stood alone sunflower. She had grown from a seed spilled by a young boy early in the springtime while he hiked through the meadow with his family.

The sunflower was by far the tallest flower in the meadow! Baby seeds were just starting to grow inside her blossom, but they were still sleeping.

One day, towards the end of summer, the bees came visiting. On the back of every bee there rode a fire fairy, sending warm light all around. On this day one especially fuzzy bee flew atop the sunflower and sat down quietly. The fire fairy on that bee was wearing a fiery red dress and she glowed with a sparkling halo. She stepped down onto the sunflower’s yellow petal and bowed very gracefully,

as fairies always do. She noticed that one of the little seeds was waking up, standing very straight and tall.

She bowed to the little seed and her halo sparkled all over her. The little seed had never seen a fire-

fairy before, let alone a fairy bowing to him, but he was sure that he should bow to her too and so he did. He bowed so far down that his head touched the very tips of his feet and he thought he might fall over!

The fairy spoke to the seed. “On this day I have brought you a special gift. I have made this gift especially for you. You will need it very soon, for soon you are going on a very long journey.” The seed stood up even straighter—even though he did not know what it meant to go on a long journey.

The fairy had wrapped her present in the finest of silks, one for every colour of the rainbow. Since the seed was still quite young, the fairy unwrapped the silks to show him what was inside. What a wondrous sight he did behold! Underneath the silk wrapping there glowed the most radiant golden blanket! It was woven of golden threads filled with light from the stars, moon and sun. The seed was filled with wonder and said, ever so respectfully, “Oh, thank you dear fairy for this beautiful gift,” and bowed his head down to his toes. Then the fire fairy bowed to the seed, climbed back on the fuzzy bee and they flew away. The sunflower told the little seed of the great long journey he would be taking one day when Brother Wind began to blow his cold winds across the land.

Mother Earth was very busy deep down underground. She was making tiny beds to welcome all the seeds for winter, for flower seeds are oh so tender and do not like the cold. Soon Brother Wind would blow his gusty winds through the meadow, and then the little seeds would pack their bags and travel the long path down to Mother Earth’s underground garden.

Brother Wind began to blow his cold breath through the land. All the little seeds packed their bags and started down the steps to find the land where Mother Earth was waiting for them. The little seed went with them. He carried his golden blanket wrapped in the fairy’s rainbow silks. He walked and walked. Soon he found the door to a long, dark tunnel. A friendly gnome working there told him that this was the way to go.

As the little seed made his way through the tunnel he saw many gnomes inside. They were hacking and cracking the rocks and the stones, finding sparkling crystals and beautiful shining ores. It seemed that the gnomes never slept, they just kept working all the time! They scooted the little seed along his way whenever he felt

drowsy, and so he kept on going through the long tunnel.

Then he came to the end of the tunnel and there was Mother Earth waiting for him. She had lit some fires in fire rings to keep her land underground toasty warm. The little seed loved this warm and cosy world. Mother Earth showed him to the little bed she had made especially for him and helped him settle into it. For he and all the other seeds were going to sleep a very long time while Old King Winter stormed about in the meadow high above. So the little seed carefully unwrapped his golden blanket from the layers of rainbow silk that were wrapped around it. Then he snuggled up into his bed.

Mother Earth tucked his golden blanket carefully around him so that he would be toasty warm. Then she sang the sweetest lullaby he had ever heard.

Soon he was fast asleep. High above, King Winter reigned supreme. He blew his icy winds hither and yon and sent his frost boys and snowflake girls dancing all around. The grasses were frozen stiff; long icicles hung from the branches of the trees; not one bird, flower, butterfly or bee was anywhere to be seen.

The little seed lay peacefully in his warm winter bed, wrapped in the sparkling warmth of his golden blanket and tended oh so lovingly by Mother Earth. He dreamed of flower meadows, sunny days, fairy dances and bird songs. Mother Earth hummed sweet lullabies as the little seed slept snuggled in his bed. And the little seed’s golden blanket shone with the light of heaven all winter long.


Deep Mid-Winter drawing near,

Darkness in our Garden here - -

One small flame yet bravely burns

To show a path which ever turns.

Earth, please bear us as we go,

Seeking Light to send a-glow:

Branches green and moss and fern,

Mark our path to trace each turn.

Brother animals, teach us too

To serve with patience as you do.

We walk with candle toward the Light

While Earth awaits with hope so bright:

In the Light which finds new birth

Love may spread o'er all the Earth.

Deep Mid-Winter drawing near - -

May Light arise in our Garden here.