1:36 P.M. - Thursday, Aug. 07, 2008
Keeper of the Garden
It was morning and like clock work the elegant woman stepped out of her cottage and headed down the foot path for her sunrise meditation. At daybreak subject to weather she would walk and talk to God, listen to the sounds of nature, and be delighted when she caught a glimpse of something that would peak through the grassy path she followed.

A truck appeared this day but little notice was taken as she was too engrossed in the beautiful song birds harmonizing with the locus along with the wind rustling the tree tops. An abrupt stop, the grinding of gears broke her connection and she turned to face this stranger that appeared to have no consideration for her chosen aloneness. She gave him the eye of irritation as he studied her causing her to feel ill at ease. She didn�t recognize this man but took an instant dislike of him; this lady was intuitive and stepped back.

He was nasty looking character, teeth yellowed from what appeared to be years of chew tucked away in his gums as spittle dribbled from the corner of his lip her perceptive nature again proved her right. His upper lids were droopy covering part of his eyes but what she could see of the color they appeared to burnt umber. His face was stubbly as if he half heartily attempted a shave with a dinner knife; little pieces of skin lay open.

That man leaned out of the truck folding his arms across the open window and dropped his head into his arms. His nails were long and filled with decades of grease and filth, the lady was repulsed.

�Woman,� he smirked. The ground shook.

The lady regained her composer reaching first to adjust the sun bonnet that rested on her head, only a hint of her short curly hair was exposed and wide chocolate eyes. She reached down and smoothed out the long flowing skirt she had chose to wear and checked the proper length of the matching blouse. Only then did she address this dreadful creature. �And you are?�

�My name isn�t important,� he thundered sending shock waves through the earth. �It�s that lovely garden you pour so much of your energy in that has my eye.� As these words spilled through his tainted teeth wild laughter wheezed from his throat and a beautiful willow tree across the lane split in half and fell to the ground.

The lady swooped down and replaced her hat that had tumbled to the ground and her voice shook the heavens, �My Dear Sir I have dealt with the likes of you all my life�no fear is in me.�

The man wasn�t prepared as the windshield exploded into fragments covering him and the hood of the truck. Before he uttered another word she spoke again, �my garden is of no concern to you, go now and craw along with every thing that creeps upon the earth.�
�Aw!� he boomed, �But there is a weed amongst those heavenly arrangements you tend to each day, and when you discard it I will be waiting to puck it from the pile.� The earth heaved and sent a pile of boulders down across the valley, still the woman held her ground no longer fearful of his piercing glare.

�Fine, what ever I cast to the rubbish will be for your taking. Now Sir you have interrupted my time of prayer and I must be on my way.� Thunder roared lightening danced across the sky one bolt striking the pavement sending man and truck back to the bottomless pit.

The lady stood for a moment a bit shaken but showing no emotion, this was not her first encounter with the beast. She moved with grace back to her cottage and followed the stony path to her beloved garden. She stopped and stared there was the intruder�how dare it she thought. She hurried across the rolls of sweet smelling velvet and reached over to yank out the plant that had invaded her sanctuary. Just as her graceful fingers brushed the blossom she stopped. The woman knelled down and studied the wild flower, no she thought it was not of her choosing it absolutely did not fit in with her well manicured garden. She looked closer and saw it was not perfect, it�s colors were a bit drab, petals not formed to perfection, and some of the leaves had been eaten�no, it did not belong here.

She stood abruptly and looked around at beauty of her landscape, everything had a place all was in perfection�except that pesky little eye sore. The lady thought about the dreadful man in the truck, was he even deserving of such a pathetic little plant, she wondered. Kicking off her sandals she walked around to the other side and stooped down to study this odd plant so out of place in her surroundings. Once again she took hold of the plant and was determined to rid herself of it but a little bloom caught her eye. It wasn�t grand as the ones she planted but it appeared to have a splendor of its own. The lady sat down unaware she was placing her freshly ironed skirt on the damp earth not paying attention her bonnet was no longer in place as she tilted her head to observe yet another small bud sprouting along the stem of the intruder.

She was captivated, she hadn�t planted it, it was not part of her grand design she wondered how it found itself smack in the middle of her world. It wasn�t really a menace as she first envisioned, if taken care of it just might grow and be as graceful as the rest of her flowers.

As she stood up and looked across the field and saw many of these little weeds along the thorns and rocks, how sad she thought this one must have had a difficult start to life. A storm had lifted a seed and placed it with her knowing her inner love would nourish and give it a chance to grow and dance with other flowers. She could make sure it had water to quench a thrust, healthy soil to allow roots to grow, a place that no matter which direction the winds would blow this flower would have a place to come back year upon year�if so desired.

The beast in the truck was never to return to claim his prize, and that little blossom had found a friend for life.

As years folded and new ones came to be the wild flower would often show up in the woman�s garden but a time came when a current of air carried its seed to a faraway place to set root. The wild plant never forgot the kindness or faith of the keeper of the garden and longed each year to be part of that magnificent place. Winds carried tales back to the wandering weed of the garden keeper and the many diverse roads she traveled over those years. There were many stories of how the lady had cared for other wild blossoms and continued to share her wisdom. Of course the favorite reminiscence for the feral flower was the one of acceptance; a time the lady stood up to the beast and did not allow it to consume its fragile life during difficult times.

A day came when winds of change carried the little root back to the garden, so overjoyed to return knowing it would have the opportunity to once again waltz along side beautiful flowers, and the keeper of the garden, the lady, welcomed back her friend.

Thank you for your unconditional love and friendship�

Sandyz

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