A Dream, a Story and a Song
A dream, a story and a song.
Once upon a time, long time ago, in a small Irish village there was a woman who had a story and a song that keep coming back in her dreams, but she could never tell it or sing it. Once night while she was sleeping with her mouth open, the story came out and became a pair of men's shoes sitting by her bed.. The song came out and became a cloak and hung in the front parlor.
When she woke up she was astonished to find these items there. Her husband came home and finding both items accused her of having a male visitor, which of course, she denied. He did not believe her, so he picked up his blanket and went to the school gym where he worked out, to sleep. Now people heard about him sleeping there, but he would not say why he was sleeping at the gym.
The local Catholic priest heard about it and went to see him, Timothy, by name. Timothy refused, at first to tell the priest. Then the priest said, listen Timothy, I am your priest, tell me now or go to confession. So Timothy told the priest his story.
The priest asked him if Mary Ellen had always been a loyal and good wife, and Timothy had to agree. Then the priest asked him a strange question; Does Mary Ellen ever sleep with her mouth open. Sometimes, said Timothy. Go home and ask her if the shoes and the cloak come from her dreams? Timothy thought this was silly, but, since the priest told him to do so, he did.
At first, Mary Ellen, although glad to see him, said no, of course not. Then she said, Wait a minute, let me see those shoes. When she looked closer and recognized they were her father’s shoes and the ones she had seen in her dreams. Then she remembered a story about the shoes from her dreams. His shoes had haunted her. When she was little, she had walked in them for fun.
She had been the only child of her parents, a girl, and her father had always wanted a boy to grow up and help in the small farm he had, someone to fill his own shoes. Although she tried in many ways, and become a real helper in many farm chores, actually developing strong arms and shoulders. Her father would always shrug and say, Well you do the best you can. . So she never felt like she measured up. The shoes were her father’s shoes that she felt as a girl she could never fill unless—
Her story reminded Timothy of his own father, who was a professional and a perfectionist, and Timothy was sure he could never be good enough for his father. As they shared more of their family stories with each other, they felt much closer, and after five years of marriage with no children, they fell in love with each other once more.
When they examined the cloak, they discovered it had an beautiful inside of many colors, and was a short cloak like a maternity dress. Mary Ellen had seen herself in her dreams wearing it expecting a baby, and she finally hoped to please her father by brining him grandchildren. After she started wearing it for good luck around the house, to their surprise, she became pregnant.
They both were in awe and wonder about the size of her growing belly as they had both wanted children and one was finally on the way. When the baby came, she sang the lullaby she remembered her mother sang to her when she was little, an Irish Lullaby, that she sang so beautifully that her husband would hum whenever he was near. And in singing this song...(sing it here)...
. . .In singing this song, she disovered who she was and who she was meant to be. They soon had a second child, who was a baby boy who simply delighted her husband immensely. She sang often around the house, and their little girl was often singing too.
Her father was overjoyed to have two grandchildren and one a boy whom he took with him everywhere.
And they lived happier than before.
Paschal Baute, Apri 12, 2007.
This is based on an old folk tale, reference lost
but in another version told by Mary Kane, my jailbird partner volunteer.
Once upon a time, long time ago, in a small Irish village there was a woman who had a story and a song that keep coming back in her dreams, but she could never tell it or sing it. Once night while she was sleeping with her mouth open, the story came out and became a pair of men's shoes sitting by her bed.. The song came out and became a cloak and hung in the front parlor.
When she woke up she was astonished to find these items there. Her husband came home and finding both items accused her of having a male visitor, which of course, she denied. He did not believe her, so he picked up his blanket and went to the school gym where he worked out, to sleep. Now people heard about him sleeping there, but he would not say why he was sleeping at the gym.
The local Catholic priest heard about it and went to see him, Timothy, by name. Timothy refused, at first to tell the priest. Then the priest said, listen Timothy, I am your priest, tell me now or go to confession. So Timothy told the priest his story.
The priest asked him if Mary Ellen had always been a loyal and good wife, and Timothy had to agree. Then the priest asked him a strange question; Does Mary Ellen ever sleep with her mouth open. Sometimes, said Timothy. Go home and ask her if the shoes and the cloak come from her dreams? Timothy thought this was silly, but, since the priest told him to do so, he did.
At first, Mary Ellen, although glad to see him, said no, of course not. Then she said, Wait a minute, let me see those shoes. When she looked closer and recognized they were her father’s shoes and the ones she had seen in her dreams. Then she remembered a story about the shoes from her dreams. His shoes had haunted her. When she was little, she had walked in them for fun.
She had been the only child of her parents, a girl, and her father had always wanted a boy to grow up and help in the small farm he had, someone to fill his own shoes. Although she tried in many ways, and become a real helper in many farm chores, actually developing strong arms and shoulders. Her father would always shrug and say, Well you do the best you can. . So she never felt like she measured up. The shoes were her father’s shoes that she felt as a girl she could never fill unless—
Her story reminded Timothy of his own father, who was a professional and a perfectionist, and Timothy was sure he could never be good enough for his father. As they shared more of their family stories with each other, they felt much closer, and after five years of marriage with no children, they fell in love with each other once more.
When they examined the cloak, they discovered it had an beautiful inside of many colors, and was a short cloak like a maternity dress. Mary Ellen had seen herself in her dreams wearing it expecting a baby, and she finally hoped to please her father by brining him grandchildren. After she started wearing it for good luck around the house, to their surprise, she became pregnant.
They both were in awe and wonder about the size of her growing belly as they had both wanted children and one was finally on the way. When the baby came, she sang the lullaby she remembered her mother sang to her when she was little, an Irish Lullaby, that she sang so beautifully that her husband would hum whenever he was near. And in singing this song...(sing it here)...
. . .In singing this song, she disovered who she was and who she was meant to be. They soon had a second child, who was a baby boy who simply delighted her husband immensely. She sang often around the house, and their little girl was often singing too.
Her father was overjoyed to have two grandchildren and one a boy whom he took with him everywhere.
And they lived happier than before.
Paschal Baute, Apri 12, 2007.
This is based on an old folk tale, reference lost
but in another version told by Mary Kane, my jailbird partner volunteer.
posted by Paschal Baute at 10:37 PM
|
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home