Community Inspirations

Adventures Of The First Children – The Breath Of The World

Once upon a time, the First Children who ever lived, a girl and a boy, were playing together outside. They were having so much fun and were experiencing so much happiness and joy. Then their mother and father called to tell them that it was time to come in. They felt sad that they had to stop playing. But they came in anyway because they were obedient children. Their parents asked them to sit quietly at the table until dinner was served. Again the children were sad. They weren’t feeling that happy joyful feeling that was there while they were playing. It seemed to the children that it wasn’t fair that the happy joyful feeling wasn’t there anymore. They began to wonder about having to be still and quiet, something that grownups often told them to do. So they made a plan. The next day they went to visit their friend, Mother Nature. She was in her Garden planting seeds and pulling weeds and doing Garden type chores. The children told Mother Nature about their problem… they hoped that Mother Nature could do something about quiet time. “It isn’t full of happiness and joy like playing is.” they told her, “It’s empty and sad and lonely.” Mother Nature listened to their problem closely. She sat and thought for a minute with her left hand on her chin. Then she jumped up and said, “Children! Let’s Go. I want to show you something.” They all jumped on to her giant flying goose (a gift from her sister, Mother Goose) and flew off into the sky toward the mountains in the west. It wasn’t long before the goose began to go down toward the ground again and soon it landed softly on a hill near the base of a big mountain. “Look over there, children.” said Mother Nature pointing to a large hole in the mountain. “Listen!” she said. The children heard a whooshing sound like the sound of the wind. Then it stopped. And then they heard it again. And then it stopped again. It continued starting and stopping over and over again. It sounded something like this… (In breath) (Out breathe) “It’s the Mouth of the World.” Mother Nature said. “The sound you hear is the earth breathing. I’ve got an idea! Children, I want you to play right here, with all of your might; play as hard as you can and get as happy as you possibly can; play like crazy and raise up your joy. Let it be the most fun you ever had!” The children were thrilled. This was something they knew how to do. So they played and frolicked and laughed and giggled and slid and wrestled and jumped and whooped; just doing anything and everything they could imagine, getting as happy as they could. They played so much that a big cloud of happiness and joy formed right over them. It grew and grew into the happiest joyous cloud there ever was. It sparkled and gleamed and was full of colors. Suddenly Mother Nature took out a big bag from under her dress and gather up the happy cloud into the bag. She motioned for the children to follow her as she walked toward the cave. When she got there she opened up the bag and brought out the happy joyful cloud and placed it right in the center of their cave opening. She sat down in the middle of the opening and motioned for the children to sit beside her. Now the children and Mother Nature were sitting in the Mouth of the Earth and the breath of the earth was passing in and out like a rushing wind. “Watch!” she said. The children were in awe as the cloud of happy joy became like streamers moving into the cave as the earth breathed in and then outwards as the earth breathed out. And they felt this wonderful happy joy washing over them as they sat quietly. They felt wonderful. The happiness and the joy was everywhere. And Mother Nature told them that from now on, just like the earth, that joy and happiness would be available for anyone who sat quietly with their own breath and that kids no longer had to give up their fun and wonderful feelings just because it was time to be still and be quiet. Mother Nature had placed a little bit of the magic happy joyful cloud in everybody’s breath and now there’s no reason to be sad or feel empty or lonely ever again because now quiet time has the same happiness and joy as playing does, built right in for those who listen and pay attention to their breath.

Let’s try it!

Rev. Michael McCluskey

(Interfaith minister)