A Gift From My Brother

I recently celebrated my 44th Birthday.

I can't even turn that age around and make a smaller number.  44!!!  I don't feel 44.  I think to myself, "I am still part of the young crowd, right???"

My brother, who is a gifted writer of songs and stories, sent me a text message the day after my birthday.  It said, "I wrote this story for you yesterday as a birthday present, I hope you like it."

I wanted to share the story with you.  I got his permission to post it.  He told me later that this is the condensed version because he sent it via text.  He said it is the Readers Digest version...lol.  

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.  

     This is the tale of a princess born of the river, the rock, and the tree.

By Ronald S. Estep

   There was a young maiden whose heart was bold, strong and deep of soul. 

Whose life among the crab boats always fell short of the deep longing for some higher purpose.

  So it came to pass she took the ferry westward across the wide bay of her youth to find the place that could match her own heart. 

 Her hair was long and red as the westering sun, her eyes dark as secret wells, and she was fair after the manner of her kin.

   Haligast, the elderly ferryman, told her to seek out the Prince of Loft Haven for he was sure that he could see her safe to such a place as she desired. Haligast gave her his walking stick to give the prince as all know him in that country.

    She walked many days and nights thru the thickening forest until she came to a dark river.

She drank of the waters and dipped her hands again to drink again and saw a stranger reflected back from the surface. Instead of her she saw a great red she-bear and she could hear and understand all the voices of the forest.

  She followed the river to a great grey stone cliff that rose high above the trees and the river vanished into the grey stone face of the cliff. Taking another drink she could hear the source of the river inside the great and high Rock. 

So she slipped into the waters and swam down to the narrow pass where the current came gushing out. Miraculously she was endowed with such great strength to swim thru the torrential current inside the base of the great rock.  Then surfaced within a small antechamber with only a single lamp to light the what she guessed was the very heart of the lofty stone hill. 

    Taking the lamp she climbed the narrow passage that ascended inside toward the hilltop. 

At last, at the mouth of the stairway she saw the stone hill formed into a tall tree with wide granite boughs glistening with pure water that trickled down to its mighty stone roots that reached deep into the very foundations of the forest. There also were stairs cunningly made into the silvery-grey tree that continued to a wide dais where sat a royal seeming throne. 

   Beside the throne stood the elder ferryman, Haligast,"welcome my Lady, take your rightful seat for the great Prince has received you to himself. She looked around and asked "how can this be for I know no Prince " Haligast smiled and said, "He is the water that revealed your true heart,the Rock who provides the life in it and the tree that shelters you above all the base of this world... You are in him and He now abides in you.

      A new name you are given.. Now and forever you are Sylvia, lady of the Loft Haven, daughter of the High King of Majesty's mountain and Guardianess of the Westwood. Amen

(l) Me, Phillip, Ronald and Christian

Daddy and Ronald in back
Bo and I while we were dating.

Thank you Ronald Scott for this precious gift.  

Of course that is Ronald in the back middle
Cheryl is in the front...Christian is on the left (black shirt)
I am on the right (looking sour)

I love that he took the time to write me something.  Art is from the heart.  

Bo said in his sermon last night "Praying in the Spirit can unlock divine creativity."

I loved that.  God is the Creator.  When we pray in the Spirit, our Creator can unlock a Creative door, making us more like Him.  We are created in His image.  Isn't that a great thought?!!!  

I love this story my big brother wrote for me.  I read it and I cried.  I could feel his love for me when he wrote this.

My mother told me that he has written a book based on his three sisters.  I would love to read the whole thing one day.