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Two Little Boys
by Howie Holben
Written for my husband, Christopher,
on his Christmas card in 2007
Once upon a time there were two little boys. When seeing these two boys, The Stars said to The Universe, "Let us put these two together. We know that they will laugh and love much together."
The Universe, in all its wisdom, agreed, but with one condition: "These two must first experience life apart before you bring them together. This way, when they are brought together, they may truly appreciate what they have found", The Universe declared.
The Stars were not without their own wisdom and knew the boys might need some inspiration during their days apart. So, without telling The Universe what they were doing, The Stars planted the Flower of Searching in each boy's heart to help insure that neither boy gave up before they found one another.
The Stars also knew that planting the Flower of Searching in a heart carried risks. Once planted, The Flower never stops growing, and endless Searching can eventually exhaust the human heart. But all The Stars agreed that this was a risk worth taking.
And so it came to pass that the boys lived many days not knowing of the other's existence. Some of these days were filled with challenges, some were filled with joys. But all along, both boys had a vague sense that something, somewhere, was waiting for them; that there was more "out there" than what they currently knew. So they kept on Searching.
Finally, the day came when The Universe said to The Stars, "These two are ready to meet. Make it so."
So The Stars got busy and, after several unsuccessful attempts, the boys' first meeting was set. The Stars and The Universe gathered around to watch what would happen.
When the boys saw each other for the first time, The Universe and The Stars recognized the shine in the boys' eyes... "Yes, indeed, these two will laugh and love much together" said The Universe to The Stars. "Oh, and by the way, thank you for planting the Flower of Searching in their hearts", The Universe said, with a smile.
Now, each boy's Flower of Searching grows alongside the other's. Having become entwined together, the Flowers support and strengthen each other. Instead of exhausting the boys' hearts, the Searching only serves to energize each heartbeat with a sense of wonder and excitement about what may lie ahead.
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