Far away in a land where children play with the devas, flowers speak of beauty and love, and the babbling brooks sing with joy, there lived a rose that longed for love. Rosa had no idea of her elegant beauty. She thought something was wrong with her because her petals were shaped a little funny and her fragrance didn't seem as perfect as the flowers next to her. In her sad musings, Rosa kept others at bay because she had to be perfect and wasn't. What Rosa didn't realize was that she cut herself off from the others through her blind sight, not feeling worthy of being a friend. Besides this, Rosa was extremely shy, often closing her petals in shame. She was afraid to speak and so kept uncomfortably quiet. Rosa felt quite alone in the world and often cried herself to sleep at night. It was good for her growth yet damaging to her soul.
One delicious day when the fairies danced in the warmth of the sun and rainbows glittered between blades of grass, an Ancient One who knew the secrets of the stars blazed through the forest. She was spinning in circles and dropping "ha ha's" everywhere, lost in the world of play. It was then that she spun around and bumped into Rosa who was crying.
"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" blurted the Wise One.
"Yes," Rosa responded, as tears continued to flow.
"Beloved," said the Wise One, "then why are you weeping?"
"Because I'm lonely," cried Rosa.
"How can you be lonely with all these beautiful flowers, trees, fairies, and joyful brooks all around you?"
"They do not notice me. I seem invisible to them," said Rosa through her tears.
"Beloved," said the All Loving, "you are missing a big piece of the picture. Have you asked yourself why you seem invisible?"
"No, I thought it's because I'm not beautiful and perfect as all the exquisite flowers and majestic trees of the forest. I can't compare to them nor speak as eloquently as the babbling brook."
"Dearest one, perhaps you do not see because you are blind to the truth. Your problem lies in being invisible to yourself."
Rosa replied sadly, "I see my funny shaped petals and note that the other roses smell heavenly. And when I open my mouth to speak, no words come out. I'm ashamed of myself. I should have been more perfect like the others. I should talk easily like everyone else and have beautiful petals."
"Not all flowers are talkative, or haven't you noticed?" the Ancient One said sweetly.
"Their language flows like the wind," Rosa answered.
"Perhaps it seems that way yet have you ever considered the Infinite's part in your creation?"
"The Infinite? I must have been out of the room when the Grand One was passing out petals and giving us voices and scents," Rosa said angrily.
"Really? I know for a fact that the Infinite created you on one of Its most glorious days when shooting stars fell by the thousands and voices were thundering across the galaxies, shouting with joy that you were created. It later placed your seed carefully in the earth with tremendous love and care and warmed you in Its light. And when you were born the angels sang magnificent songs of praise."
"They did?"
"Absolutely," said the Wise One.
"Well, I let the Infinite down. I've never accomplished anything in my life," Rosa remarked shedding a tear.
"Never? Have you asked yourself if this is true? And for that matter, to whom are you comparing yourself?"
"Why, the others, of course," replied Rosa.
"The others. Is there really a need to be like them?"
"Well, I've been told I have to be and I've been made fun of because I'm not," replied Rosa as she fought back tears.
The Ancient One spoke, "Dear One, has it ever occurred to you that there is no right or wrong here? That there's no road to follow, no leader?"
"No leader? Aren't we supposed to follow the leader?"
"I'll tell you a truth from the Infinite. There is no leader. What the Creator intended was for all to just 'be,' to be happy as they are, and to be the magnificent creatures It created them to be. All were created with love at their core in joy, beauty, and infinite perfection."
"Wise One, do you mean to say that I was created perfect like this? That being shy and non-talkative was how the Creator planned for me to be?"
"There needs to be a balance, dearest. Some are created babbling. Others are given the gift of quiet introspection. The great forest needs both."
"So my silence serves a purpose?" replied Rosa in surprise.
"Yes, yes indeed. We have needed the silence to hear the Infinite speak, to hear the voice of love, and to remind us of the joyful perfection that is here, there, and everywhere."
"Oh gosh, I don't remember hearing the soft voice of love," said Rosa.
"It is there, Beloved, in the depths of your being, underneath the crabby voices who refuse to see with the heart."
© 2022 Carol Denego