the Little tin

good Morning Relatives

there are Three Stars visible this morning.  One in the East, One in the WEst and one in the South West   it is a bit cloudy and cool

yesterday was a day of much hard work   both in Holding the Fire and Covering the Walls in the bedroom upstairs.  the Wall looks so Good! with covers on it.  I was so very tired and so happy with it that I laid on the bed with the Kitty and just admired that they were complete.  Funny how we don't always know how something affects us until we Change it.   I did Not realize that the tin on the walls upstairs would be really nice, the walls are shorter than downstairs and as an ease of collaboration between wall covering and Outlet coverings I used wood where there was an Outlet so it made a nice Contrast at Differing Points along the Wall which was pleasing .  After the Wall was covered I felt ... well at Ease,  like the room was safe and warmer somehow.  I was surprised a little at the Presence of this feeling.  It got me to thinking about our young Prince.

As the Prince made Final Preparations to Leave his Home his Mother and Father having Wrapped him in every blessing and Hope, having put every Advantage iN place along the Way to Insure his success. His Mother took him Aside while his father was settling the Arrangements with the Driver of the Carriage. He was not surprised at this as his mother Often had taught him very different Ideas than his father. Or given him advice that seemed Out of the Ordinary but always turned out to be Timely and Useful.  but she and he never Spoke of it. And his Father pretended not to notice.

taking him Aside that Fateful Morning, His mother quietly placed in his Hand a small tin. "I want you to Have this My Son, for Your journey, My Grandmother gave it to me when I left Home, Long Ago." She folded his hand over it and Seemed to be Transferring a Blessing to him as She Released it at Last.  He opened his hand gazing down at it.  It was an extraordinarily unremarkable small tin. It Appeared to have been slightly Crushed and was Dented on one Side. The Writing on the Tin said, " Horton's Be.. ...... Fo. Long Journe..   Best if Ta.... With ...er"   It was Difficult to Tell if the writing had been deliberately scraped off, burned, or was just the Victim of a long Life of many Adventures. There was enough of the Paint to see that there were three small stars still visible and Not quite Rubbed Out.  The Lid appeared to be Welded on so Tightly, that he doubted it had Ever Been Removed. The tin was small and somehow warm to the touch, Light but solid, and could easily be Lost if his Pockets were too Full, or if He was not Careful when he changed out his pants for the Laundry, or removed any bills or change for purchases along the Way.

The Prince considered these things as he held It in his hand.  He had Before in his life been given Objects of Meaning, or Found them whilst he was Playing or Walking along.  Some of those Objects had been Lost out of His Pocket or been Mislaid and Forgotten until he was Miles Away and it seemed IMpossible to recover that One special Thing from his lack of mindfulness. A few of them were tucked in his Breast Pocket, Safe but within Easy Reach like Talismans from his Own Secret Life.  He could tell that the tin was Important as his mother had taken pains to give it to him in private. It was so unremarkable that he wondered how Old It Really Was. It was worn around the Edges as if She or Someone had handled it Over and Over for a very Long Time.  It was however Pleasing to the touch and felt Familiar and he held it comfortably in One Hand. It made Very Little Sound as he shook it gently.  Not so much that it made him Curious, but just enough that he was Convinced, that it was not Empty.   the Prince turned it over in his hand and looked at his mother questioningly.  "It is Not for Now" she said. "It's for when you Know that Everything Truly Depends on One Path or the Other." "but Mother" he frowned, " How am I to Know when that is?" " You will know my Son," she said," and you can Ask for Assistance when you need it."  He considered it carefully, and then ASked her, " Have you ever Opened it?"  She smiled at him and said, " My Son, That is My Story Not yours.  but you must Know that the One Rule about the Tin is, That it must only be opened Once in the Life of the One who Carries it.  And Only Once will it Reveal its Contents.  And it's Contents will Only be Revealed  if it is Opened At the Right Time."

The Prince frowned, he liked a Puzzle and a Challenge but This, this was Something Else.  If Nothing Else He could keep it AS a Reminder of Her. And as he Looked Once More for the Last Time into his mother The Queens eyes, he saw in her a Clarity, a Depth that he had seen before, when she had held him so Many Many times as he Grew from the Crib to the Day of His Departure.  It was the Look of His Heart Reflected in her eyes. It was her Gift that she would Watch over him, Giving him His Best Chance, Seeing perhaps the Future that he could Not Yet see for himself.

And so Placing the Little Tin in his Pocket he Hugged her, kissed her cheek, shook hands with his Father and clambered up into the carriage.  He was Off, to meet his Fairy Godmother and Begin his Quest for a Better Life for All.


Enjoy your day Relatives   it is Sunday  a good day for the Water

love Mary