Day Twenty Four — Love. Always.
“Are you OK, sweetheart?” sister Mary-Francis asked Lelia, who was sitting on the beach, watching the ocean, with her arms wrapped around her knees.
“I’m fine, sister,” the girl answered smiling.
“It’s a big day tomorrow, are you ready?” Mary-Francis asked.
“I prepared as much as I could, I guess it’ll have to do,” Lelia answered. She looked a little scattered, unsure, the way one would be at the beginning of a long journey. Sister Mary-Francis pondered for a while, watching the waves.
“Come,” she finally said. “I want to show you something.”
She turned around and headed towards the healing garden, with Lelia walking quietly behind her. They passed through the gate that led to the Prayer Hall and took the wild path through the overgrown greenery that led to Sarah’s shop. Lelia was surprised when instead of continuing towards it, the sister took the other leg at the fork and headed towards the wilderness preserve.
“We’re going to the preserve?” Lelia asked, surprised.
“It’s not just a nature preserve,” sister Mary-Francis replied, smiling. They kept walking and stopped under the soybean tree, so large now that it dominated the landscape, its massive wooden branches held up by a forest of supports. The sister stopped under it, signaling to Lelia to sit down on the round bench built around its base.
Lelia looked at her, waiting for an explanation.
“The largest Purple colony on dry land,” sister Mary-Francis reminded her. The young girl looked up at the giant branched structure, a tree of life of sorts, its dense foliage projected on the coffee colored sky, half green, half purple and sheltering countless flocks of birds of every variety. Their combined noise was almost deafening.
“Half green, half purple,” the sister continued, “a little bit like you, don’t you think?”
“A hybrid, you mean?” Lelia asked, looking at the enormous tree and wondering how this parallel could possibly apply to her life.
“It’s a lot more than that, my dear. It isn’t a plant anymore, and it isn’t a purple city either. It is the tree of life, something unique in and of itself. Just like you,” the sister spoke. “It can’t be easy being born of two worlds, having to craft your life from scratch. I just wanted to open a window into your future and show you an example of synergy thriving.”
Lelia’s fingers caressed the rugged surface of the trunk, trying to feel the pulse of Purple life, now so familiar to her, through its wooden shell.
“There are a million reasons why Purple only builds colonies in the ocean, you have to be in awe at the confluence of conditions that made this symbiosis possible,” sister Mary-Francis continued.
“Does it bother you that I am half-cloud?” Lelia’s question befuddled her.
“Why would it bother me?” she asked. “It is who you are.”
“Sister Joseph seems to find that objectionable,” Lelia voiced her concern.
“Sister Joseph loves you to pieces. She pokes fun at everybody, you know how she is.”
“My grandparents don’t seem to know what to make of me either,” Lelia continued.
“Your grandparents are beyond themselves with excitement to be the proto-progenitor clouds of a new race. I don’t think that in their infinite wisdom they thought your existence possible!”
Lelia looked at the giant tree again. It looked like it belonged in the landscape, she couldn’t imagine Terra Two without it. All of them shared the immortal genes of the original inhabitants of the planet now, and as a result, none of them were simply human anymore, not for many generations. The dwellers of Terra Two were all born of its essence, resilient, feisty and fearless, never hesitating to push boundaries and question the impossible. In this slow moving evolution towards a different state of being, Lelia was just another step.
She looked at her surroundings, eagerly trying to take in as much of them as she could, as if they were all going to change the next day. From her high vantage point she could see a new generation of children play on the beach, and Sarah walk through the fields with Solomon following behind her, while flocks of blue dragons filled the milk chocolate sky. Evening approached and the methane containers started glowing, surrounded by the shiny belt of the hadron collider. The huge green moon popped over the horizon unexpectedly, to start its nightly stroll around the planet.
The familiar surroundings soothed her anxiety and she rested her gaze in the lush green and purple foliage of the soybean tree, which was growing deeper in the fading light.
“It’s time to go back, dear. You have a long day tomorrow, you need to be well-rested,” sister Mary-Francis said, getting up. Lelia hesitated for a second on the edge of the bench.
“What am I going to do after the ceremony, sister?” she dared ask the secret question that had haunted her ever since the preparations began.
“That is all up to you, my dear child. The scariest words ever uttered,” sister Mary-Francis said. “Freedom can be terrifying. Life is miraculous, unexpected, unforgiving. Often its defining moments come without precedents to fall back on. In those hours of doubt, when you can’t see through the haze of uncertainty, the best any of us can do is stand in front of God with our eyes and our hearts open, just the way we are, and know that we are loved.”
Landing Bay, Terra Two, July 26th, 3245
Dearest,
We get so wrapped up in our daily activities that we sometimes fail to give the most important things the attention they deserve. It is a blessing that we have this extraordinary gift of time, so don’t waste the opportunities it provides.
My most precious moments, if I look back at my life, are the times I spent with your generation, and the generations before yours, guiding, teaching, listening to your fresh ideas, your unguarded feelings, preferences and concerns.
I cherish the afternoons in the kitchen with the sisters, our puttering in the garden together, the trips we take out in the fields to pick herbs and wild berries. We’re never lonely here, you see, and above all the scientific breakthroughs and the bustle of research activities at the Institute, I still value my relationships with the members of this community more.
Never forget, my dear child, that life is made of days, and no matter how many days you were gifted with, you should strive to enjoy every single one of them. When you have given your love and attention to your family and friends, it will still be overflowing, so pay attention to the ideals you care about, to the people whose needs call out to you, to the human race, to the universe itself.
What would have become of Terra Two if we didn’t care deeply about turning it into a second haven for our kind, if we didn’t give it everything we were capable of, all of our energy, the work of our hands, our beliefs and our resilience?
Energy spent in activities that don’t touch your soul is wasted, and those activities will drag along for a while, only to be abandoned when the first justification presents itself. When you put your heart into something you love however, not a single obstacle can ever stand against it. It may not always be easy, but you can’t let go of it, because it is a part of who you are, your meaning, your purpose.
Never abandon your dreams, Lelia, and love yourself just as much as you do other people, this way you’ll never allow things that defeat the spirit to seep into your heart. Wherever you go, take a little piece of home with you, to anchor your strength and provide comfort from adversity.
Do as much good to as many people as you can and harm none, and when you visit a place, leave behind a blessing. Whatever your hands are able to do, do it with joy, and the work of your hands will bring you prosperity and luck.
Never be too busy to focus your mind on what you are doing, because whatever activity you are involved in, the most important question is not how or when to do it, but why. If you can’t give yourself an answer for why you are doing something, you shouldn’t be doing it anyway.
Love the place you’re in, the people you’re with, the things you do, your earthly shell, the body, your home, your pets, your interests, your hobbies. If you stumble upon something great, share it. Don’t be afraid to speak your mind, but do it respectfully and kindly. Protect those who can’t defend themselves. Never hesitate to ask for God’s help, no matter how impossible or unimportant the issue at hand seems to be.
We’ll always be here to help and advise you, but ultimately every one of us must chart her own path, and we hope to learn more from you than you did from us. You inherited your mother’s steely resolve and your father’s extraordinary capacity, and there will be very few tasks that you will not succeed at, if you apply yourself, so chose them purposefully, not halfheartedly.
Keep your house in order, your garden well tended, your body strong and your mind on praiseworthy thoughts. Never assume anything but trust that you’ll have good guidance to find your way through the haze of uncertainty, because, my dear, that love you have in your heart is everything.
Blessings,
Sister Mary-Francis
