by Jane Myers

Created on: April 17, 2009   Last Updated: May 31, 2009

THE EMPTY HANDED LEAP OF FAITH

There was once a very stately frog that lived alone in a most beautiful pond, abudant with all good things of substinance. His happiness with his situation was unsurpassed, save for his yet-to-be fulfilled lifetime dream of one day siring a multitude of tiny, stateley tadpoles. He had long decided to make ths particular pond his home for life, and further, if he would be so blessed, he vowed that he would leave his pond as a legacy to his offspring. Sorrowfully, on this particular cold and darkened day, utterly lost and encompassed by a fog so thick, it caused him to begin to imagine that all hope was lost.

As usual, he had been bogged down with a few problems, but this time his pond had become so polluted that even the few remaining Lilly pads were barely surviving the extreme, unhealthy conditions. There was not a dragonfly to be found. In fact, most of the intuitive dragonflies had fled as a flock several weeks prior. Nestled deep below, at the very bottom of the pond, the frog found one limp and lazy lizard hiding in a gnarly swamp-like cove. The lizard had decided to hunker-down until the plague had passed, but little did he know that this day that it would be his last. With eyes bulging and tongue succinctly poised, the frog indulged himself in what was soon to be to be his last morsel from that pond.

Now satiated with his delicacy, the frog laid back to ponder and re-gain his strength and composure. Feeling somewhat pleased with himself that he had made such a fine catch, he fell gently off to sleep while telling himself that things would surely look better tomorrow. When tomorrow came, once again he was sorely disappointed, to find his situation had in fact worsened. Englulfed in a swarm of pestilent creatures whose favorite dish was Frog, he new there was little time to waste. No time to primp with pride, the frog decided to take a chance. Mustering up all the courage and strength that he had, with passion and fervor to boot, he took a leap so gigantic that it cast his fate to the wind, and he was only hoping for the best.

Within a quantum flash the frog found that he had leaped into a world of which he had not ever dreamed. In fact, it was beyond his wildest dreams. With crickets galore and snakes and snails, and even some turtles too, the frog felt a warm wave of gratitude for the first time in his life, as if a blessed blush had been reserved just for him. But alas, how could he be sure he could stay in this wonderful environment? -where love, harmony, tranquility and happiness abound, and to be able to work to maintain it? What did he need to do in order to never have to back to the way it was before he took that empty-handed leap of faith? After much laborious pondering, the frog had a brainstorm, "It's a family that I need. I need to find a female frog - someone to sit beside me," he thought, "through all that's thick or thin; I think I'll find myself a mate and teach her how to swim." In waters high and waters low they made themselves a nest and surrounded themselves with other happy frogs, who knew they too were blessed. Lizards leap for joy here, and the daffodils on the embankment of the pond, constantly bloom and shine their glorious light upon each new day, with love and gratitude basking in the reflections of the pond.

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