Set

"Set the sail, Child, set the sail," The Prophet commanded, looking at her face.

"Prophet, a lily pad don't have a sail," The Child replied.

"You have a sail, Child; you must set the course."

"Then, where is it?" The Child asked defiantly.

"Here, Child," The Prophet said as he tapped on the top of her head. "It is in here."

"So, how do I set sail in my head?"

"Child don't you see you need to plot your course. You have to have some idea of where you're going."

"So, returning to my vision is not enough, Prophet?"

"Correct, Child.  You need to set your sail so you can go the distance."

"So, how do I set sail in my head?" The Child asked.

The Prophet moved his hand from her head and covered her eyes with both of his hands.

 "What do you see, Child?"

In her heart the dreams that started her on her journey arose, riding on the ocean ahead of her, beckoning her to come.

"I see them, Prophet. I see them!" The Child said excitedly. "But they're moving away from me."

"That's true, because you haven't set your sail."

"So my saying yes to leaving the cove provided me with a sail?"

"Yes, Child."

"What must I do now?"

"Move your lily pad out on the ocean."

The Child shoved her lily pad away from the cove and closed her eyes; the wind gathered up its speed; the lily pad began to move with the wind current, and the whale swam happily farther out.

"Is my sail set, Prophet?"

"Yes, Child.  Keep dreaming. We're on our way," The Prophet replied with a smile.

Shalom,

Pat Garcia

Hold On

"Hold on, Child," The Prophet called out. "Hold on."

"I'm holding on, Prophet, but I'm getting wet."

"Don't worry about getting wet. That happens. Just hold on to the whale."

"Gee whiz, am I glad the whale's here. I don't know where I'd be if I weren't riding on its back."

The Child had barely finished the sentence when a huge wave, dark and wide, rose from out of the ocean and started coming their way.

"Eeeeeeek!" shouted the Child, sizing up the wave; the Child's voice trembled with fear.  "I'm going to slide off of my whale, Prophet."

"Lie on your stomach, Child, and stretch your legs forward. Then, grab hold of the dorsal fin."

"Then, the whale can't see, Prophet, cause my feet will cover its eyes."

The Prophet smiled.

"It will see, Child. Then you can't see."

"But don't I need to see what lies ahead of me."

"No, Child.  You only need to stay on the back of the whale."

The child wrapped her arms around the dorsal fin as the whale rose up from the ocean and sailed a few feet in the air.

"Eeeeeeek!" The Child screamed.

"Prophet?"

"Yes, Child?"

"Are you still there?"

"Of course, I'm still here, Child. Why do you ask?"

"Cause I can't see you or hear you?"

"Is it necessary to see me, Child?"

Shalom,

Pat Garcia