Jessie: First Impressions

This is the gentle little story of a young girl living in the farmland of British Columbia during the 1950’s. Her world is simple and her life is easy, as are her thought about the Universe.

The back cover

The Sun shone on the land and the early Spring day was warm. Jessie had to bring a drink to her Daddy as he worked in the fields.

As she skipped down the country lane, a white dove fluttered past Jessie’s head. She waved her hand, and said, “Hello, my little friend, how are you, today?” The dove just flapped her wings.

One of the dove’s feathers landed on the ground in front of Jessie, so she bent down to pick it up. “Is this one for me?” she asked the dove. But again the dove just flapped her wings and took off into the air again. Jessie said, “Thank you,” and stuck the feather in her hair.

Just then, Jessie heard, “Whoosh.” An eagle swooped down from the sky towards a field mouse. The little field mouse scurried away from the giant eagle and into the safety of the wheat field.

Jessie smiled. “You lucky little field mouse!” she said. On she walked, looking up at the big, blue sky above her. There’s so much sky, she thought. All night it’s full of stars, and then it’s empty all day. I wonder why? When the sun shines, does God close his eyes?

Then Jessie saw that field mouse in the wheat field, again. He was nibbling on a dried wheat grain. It was a leftover from last harvest.

Jessie watched a single seed fall to the ground. A gentle wind carried it along a furrow. There it nestled into the golden Earth. It fell asleep, waiting for the Spring rain to fall later, during the night. Jessie knows that one day it will wake up again and then grow into a big, strong wheat stalk.

Jessie knows, too, that the wind does other rather special things. The wind blows the clouds across ponds, soaking up water. Then the clouds rain on the dry land.

But the thing the wind does that Jessie likes best is it blows a cool breeze on a hot summer’s day and makes Jessie feel better. But I have never seen the wind, Jessie thought. What does it look like? Is it like it sounds? Is it just God’s breath sighing when God is feeling extra happy?

A few minutes later, Jessie passed by the pond. She heard a splash. A wriggling fish stuck his head above the water, as if to say, “Good morning. How are you?”

Jessie smiled at the fish. She said, “Good morning to you. How are the other little fish?” The fish didn’t say anything, but his mouth looked like he was smiling at Jessie. Then the fish just flapped his tail, as if to say, “Goodbye,” and dipped below the surface of the water again.

Suddenly, there was a giant “SPLOSH!” Jessie was startled.

The eagle had dropped into the pond. He was trying to catch the fish, but the fish was hiding, safe, at the bottom of the pond. Then Jessie saw the dove having a bath at one side of the pond, and the field mouse was having a drink of water on the other side.

“We are all here together!”

As if answering Jessie’s words, a bright blue butterfly fluttered by. Jessie clapped her hands in glee.

“Oh, this is a wonderful day.”

“Just wait until I tell my Daddy about everything I have seen today,” she said to herself. The butterfly flew away again, and Jessie sat down for a minute to stare into the pond. It was deep, and the creatures who depend on it were very busy. “Just like this world,” Jessie said.

“My Daddy told me that when God first saw the world, it was covered with water, and silent.” Then Jessie closed her eyes and pictured the world as it is now in her mind. “A big, blue marble.”

I wonder what it’s like to fly, she thought. It must feel great, soaring high above the clouds in the sky. Below are farms, ponds, valleys, mountains and cabins. Is that how God sees the world today? Does he see how busy we are, living our lives. Or does it feel like a daydream to him?

The Summer will soon be here, Jessie thought. The sky will be full of swallows. The sun will be shining so brightly again, Jessie sighed.

The green fields filled her mind. Jessie lay back on the ground. The sounds of nature around her lulled her to sleep for a little while. She began to dream about the farm and the fun that she had last year, when she and her Daddy brought in the harvest, at the end of Summer.

In Jessie’s dream, the leaves of the trees changed to their autumn shades of gold. Then they began to fall to the Earth. The harvest was in. A time for thanksgiving.

Turkey dinner, sweet potatoes, corn-on-the-cob, pumpkin pie. The best food comes in the Fall. And pumpkins that magically change into Jack-O-Lanterns on Hallowe’en night. And the joy of Trick-or-Treating at the farm houses nearby. And the hint of Winter chill with the cold nights.

Jessie then began to dream about the jolly, big snowman she built in her large backyard, last winter.

The snow had been thick, clean and white. The snowdrifts were over six feet high, taller than Jessie’s Daddy. Their garage had been completely covered with snow. Jessie had played with her toboggan every day. The icicles had grown to giant columns of frozen waterfalls.

But soon the Spring had come again with its bright tulips and daffodils. And warm rainbow showers.

And just then, Jessie thought of her Daddy needing his drink. Quickly, she awoke from her dreams and ran towards the cornfield, where her Daddy was working, scattering the kernels of corn in the long, straight furrows. Just as she reached the gate of the field, Jessie read the sign

No Trespassing Private Property

Jessie thought, Why did Daddy put up this sign? No one owns the Earth. It belongs to God.

But then Jessie remembered what her Daddy had said about owning property. He said, “The Earth is ours for farming food and building houses and barns. This means we must take good care of it. If we don’t, God will want to take it back. And we will have to leave this farm.”

“God lends a hand to those who will help themselves,” he said. Jessie thought, God’s a nice man.

Just then, Jessie saw her Daddy. He was standing near the gate, waiting for his drink. She gave it to him, and waited while he quietly drank it all up. Then he said, “Thank you, my child.” With that, he returned to his work in the cornfield, and Jessie walked back to their farmhouse.

Later, that night, as Jessie lay in her cozy, little bed, she looked out her window at the stars in the sky. “Thank you, dear God,” she prayed, “for keeping watch over us. I can see your eyes saying, ‘Good night’.”

Copyright: Windmiller, Co (2000)