While on the Wellness journey I shared a Legend with a friend. He said I should share it with everyone as it doesn’t negate Christianity but adds to it. I will write as I remember it.
In the beginning the Creator made the earth, animals and plants. He created First Man to name the animals and plants. As time went by First Man noticed that each animal had a companion and he felt lonely. So First Man asked the Creator for a companion and the Creator was agreeable and made First Woman.
Life was good and they went about the Mother Earth naming the animals and plants and their functions. Occasionally they would argue but it was the springtime of their love and they would make up quickly.
Later though they got into an argument and neither of them would back down. Finally First Woman said she was leaving never to come back again. First Man told her to go, as he couldn’t care less.
Well, off went First Woman walking as only an angry woman can walk. You know the walk. Those fast long angry strides.
By and by First Man felt lonely and regretted his words and he started out after First Woman to apologize. But First Man, though he walked fast, couldn’t match the angry woman walk so he broke into a hunters run. You know that hunters run when you are trying to catch a wounded animal. Still he couldn’t catch up, so he called to the Creator. He asked the creator to help him, as he loved First Woman.
The Creator agreed to help and made berries grow out of season to entice First Woman into stopping and eating. First Woman passed by the ripe gooseberries without stopping. She passed by the blueberries and raspberries without stopping. That angry woman walk was straight and strong.
Again First man cried to the Creator for help. The creator said that he would help one more time but it would be the last time because First Man and First Woman had to learn to work these things out themselves.
The Creator told First Man he would create a new thing to help and told him why. The Creator made a new berry, the strawberry. He made it like the human heart in shape and in color.
He made the strawberries grow close to the ground and when First Woman’s mocassins hit them a wonderful smell tickle her nose. She could not resist and stopped to try one. The sweetness of the strawberries leads to another and another. Now First Man caught up and as he was apologizing, First Woman asked him to try the strawberries.
He tried one and told what the Creator had said about making them like the human heart. First Man said the sweetness was the sweetness of love they felt for each other and the sweetness that is in all human hearts in the beginning. They promised never to fight again in honor of the strawberry.
Well, you just have to look around to know how long that promise lasted but remember, even though you may argue, remember the strawberry and what it means. That sweetness was between you both and should be at the end of your fights. And that my friends is the story of how and why the Creator made the strawberry.
