THE BEGINING OF IT ALL

In the beginning there was nothing, but nothing got tired and decided to be something, so it rolled and rolled, tumbled and stretched, rolled and tumbled till it became something. We will call this something a ball. As we know, a ball is round and firm-with as you guessed, nothing inside. Now we know a ball doesn't have a mind, nor can it see- but this ball was different.

At the beginning there was not today, tomorrow or a yesterday, so the ball that was nothing but had formed into something, didn't like being still, so it rolled and tumbled and rolled till it came to rest and when it did, it split open. Inside was a small seed. You can bet the seed was glad to be free, but still there was nothing. The seed decided it would grow, but how? Suddenly the seed burst open and out came a rosebud. As the rosebud started upward, the ball began to close and only the rosebud was showing, no leaves, no stem, just the bud. Well, the rosebud thought, I'll find a way to grow. So once more the ball went tumbling down, down till it hit upon a hard surface and there it split open again. This time the rosebud grew petals. The petals fell upon the land making a circle.

Once again, all that was left was the seed. As before the seed wanted to grow. The seed looked and saw the first petal that had fallen and there was light. If I am to grow there must be rain and sunshine. The seed was pleased - but he knew he must push himself under the surface so there might be more. If there is light- so must there be darkness. Resting himself at the end of the day, he slept and next morning he was stronger.
Good, he said, but if there is to be something, I must find the petal that is a beautiful bird, so he can carry the other seeds to be planted. He looked upon the last petal and said, " fly petal," at that the petal turned into a white dove, Soon the seed that had lost its petals was blooming once again.

The seed was truly pleased, there was day. there was night, there was rain and sunshine, but still was missing from the garden. There was no one to tend to the roses, only the seed and he was growing old. Looking around he saw a lovely white rose. Ah, yes, this is to be the keeper and with a slight touch he tried to bring the rose, but he had forgotten the wind. Time was running out so the seed said, “Wind, blow if you will, let the storms of life rage, let there be man so there will never be nothing again, but something. With that the white rose stood tall, its arms outstretched two stems instead of one: the leaf-a body and the bud-a face, two eyes, a nose, a mouth and hair. "Now you are completed, the rest is up to you." "You must have a name; I will call you Simon." said the seed. With that the seed went back inside the ball and once again began to roll and tumble.

Simon stood looking at himself and ask," How am I to take care of the gardens?" He stood for a long time in the rose garden. He was not sure what he was supposed to do. The night came and it was dark. Simon said," Maybe tomorrow I will know what I am supposed to do." With that he lay down in the garden and went to sleep. The next morning the sun shone bright. Simon woke. He said," I am thirsty," the rain came, and all the roses drank. Simon walked through the garden and saw all the beautiful roses. He knelt and began to smell them. Simon wasn't quite sure how to take care of the roses, but the seed had made him the keeper. One day Simon noticed the roses were not as beautiful as they had been before. Simon didn't know what to do, so he sat down and began to cry. Suddenly down the hill came the ball, rolling and tumbling and when it reached Simon, it burst open.

Inside was the seed, "What is wrong Simon?" the seed ask. Simon answered, “Look at my garden, I have kept it beautiful, but I have grown tired lately and no longer am I able to tend the roses." The seed thought, "You need someone to help you tend the roses." He saw a beautiful pink rose in the corner of the garden. He touched the rose and there was woman. He called her Beth. 'Now, said the seed, “you will have help keeping the garden beautiful." The ball closed and rolled and tumbled till it was gone. Beth and Simon kept the garden beautiful for a longtime. One day Beth went for a walk and found a small pond. Around the pond were large stones. She sat down on one of the stones and it began to talk. "Beth, I am John, I know you and Simon are the keepers of the rose garden. I am very fond of roses; may I have some from the garden to plant beside the pond?" Beth said, “We are not allowed to pick the roses from the garden." "One rose would surely not be missed," replied John.

Beth took him to the garden and told Simon she had a new friend who wanted to see the garden, she asked Simon if John could pick a rose to plant beside the pond, Simon told Beth they were not allowed to pick roses from the garden. Beth said, "Surely, one rose would not be missed." Then she reached down and picked a rose. The skies began to turn black, and the wind began to blow. Beth and Simon became very frightened. The stone was gone, and the rose lay upon the ground, withered and crumbled. As the darkness turned to light, the ball was in the garden. It opened and there was the seed, “You have broken your word as keeper of the garden, Simon, you and Beth must leave the garden and never return," and with that they were turned to weeds.

Now the seed had to find a new keeper for the rose garden. Because John had turned Beth against his word, he crushed all stones into tony pebbles. The ball rolled and tumbled for several days. When he came to rest the seed came out. 'I am very old and cannot tend the garden alone," he said. He decided to try once again to take two roses and turn them into the keepers of the roses. The roses grew and stretched until they became man and woman. The seed named them Mary and David. He told them their job and then he returned to the ball and rolled and tumbled away. Mary and David kept the rose garden very beautiful for a long time. One day Mary came to David; she said, “David, I have a new seed growing within me." David called the ball, and the seed inside came forth. They told the seed of the miracle. The tiny seed that burst forth from Mary became a beautiful red rose.

Its petals fell around Mary and David's feet. The seed looked at the petals and said to the first one, “You are Love." To the others he said, “You are Hope, Understanding, Charity and Faith." "I ask you to go forward into the world and sow your seeds so there may be more rose gardens." He breathed life into each of them and they each set out in a different direction. The red rose that had dropped the petals became a little boy child. He was called Jacob. Now what had been nothing would be something and the ball could finally rest. He knew his children he had sent forth would tend and plant rose gardens forever. So, the beginning of it all would live forever, and the ball and seed could roll and tumble all over the land and cherish the beautiful rose gardens,