JENNIE CATHERINE, ANGEL FAIRIE
WITH SILVER SHOES AND GOLDEN WINGSSHE FLIES THROUGH THE AIR
AND SOARS WITH THE BIRDS
SHE WALKS THROUGH THE FLOWERS
AND SINGS WITH THE BUTTERFLIES
HER EYES ARE BLUE .. BLUE AS THE SKIES
HER HAIR AS GOLDEN AS THE SUN.
... and this is the story of Jennie Catherine, Angel Fairie
Once upon a memory, a long time ago, there was a beautiful little blue-eyed, blonde-haired girl who loved all of nature. She loved each season and all it would bring. She especially loved being in the garden or walking in the woods and she would run and chase the birds, wishing upon wish that she could fly through the wind and the clouds with them. And when she walked through her grammie's garden she would sit quietly and listen carefully and the butterflies, the dragonflies, and even the tiny toad would hum to her in a language that only she, on earth, could understand. She would skip stones in ponds and the fishes would come to the surface and dance on the water for her. She would gather nature's treasures; pinecones, tiny stones, nuts and berries, fallen leaves, moss and lichen, all the earth had to share .. and she would make 'fairie houses' for the tiniest, unseen creatures that walked the earth.
Ahhhh yes, Jennie Catherine, was an 'earth fairie' herself. She saw with her heart all the gifts that so many others see only with their eyes ... but ... are blind to.
AND THEN ONE DAY ... there came a tiny knock at St. Peter's door at the Heavenly Gates. There was no answer, so she bravely knocked a again this time a little louder.
As the Heavenly Gates Opened Wide, there stood a very tall and kind-faced man dressed in a robe of finest linen with a beard the color of a snow-capped mountain.
It was St. Peter himself!
He looked to the left and he looked to the right .. but so tiny was Jennie-Catherine Angel Fairie that he did not see her kneeling at his feet. And so, he turned to depart. But quickly, she jumped up and gave a little tug to the hem of his celestial gown. He looked down and there stood the dearest little angel he had ever seen. Her gown was ripped, her wings were tattered and her halo was tarnished and askew on her blonde little head. But her heart shined louder than any he had ever heard before.
He leaned down and gently lifted her into his arms and carried her inside the door to Heaven.
She gasped at the splendor of 7 little angel fairies she spied sitting on tuffets of silk and gazing into mirrors at their reflections. Their wings were the shades of the nature on earth that she had so dearly loved.
EMERALD GREEN ... like the blades of grass when filled with morning dew.
RUBY RED ... like the sunset on an autumn day.
AZURE BLUE ... like the sky at the beach rippling reflections in the waves.
BLAZING ORANGE ... like new fallen leaves in September.
DEEP PURPLE ... like the wings of the birds she so dearly loved.
PALE PINK ... like the streaks in a morning sky.
SUNNY YELLOW like her favorite flowers in her Grammie's Garden.
She looked down at her own ragged and tattered clothes .. for on earth, all things looked beautiful to her and she did not realize that as she played amongst nature, the colors of the earth rubbed off onto her own clothing. She never minded for even the shades of dirt and mud were glorious to her. And she missed earth so very much she thought her heart would shatter.
St. Peter who was wise, told her that these little angels did indeed shine like gems .. but .. that they were a little vain and lazy and heaven had gotten quite 'dull'. He pointed out the Clouds to Jennie Catherine and shook one to show her how they had filled with cobwebs .. and then showed her the shadowy silver of the Moon because it had become quite tarnished. Ohh, and the Sun, it did not shine with it's former Golden Glory because it was covered with dust. And the muted shades of what had once been a glorious rainbow with hues more beautiful than the wings of the 7 Angel Fairies.
But he knew, it was not the beautiful Angels that was breaking her heart.
He then told her that perhaps if she were to put her hands to work tidying up Heaven, she would better be able to see the Splendor of Earth.
(And so it was, that Jennie Catherine, unbeknownst to herself, received Heaven's finest treasure.)
She smiled at St. Peter and went to work. She shook each and every cloud in the sky until there were no more cob-webs .. BUT .. as she was shaking them clean, she did not notice that they were weaving the finest lace from their cobwebs and they settled upon her tattered little dress creating the most beautiful snow-white dress in heaven.
As she rubbed and scrubbed the sun to remove the layers of dust and grime ... hours later, it's golden rays shone through brighter than it had ever shown before ... and it's rays transformed her wings into the purest gold.
Then, for hours she rubbed and scrubbed the tarnish from the dingy-looking moon. And as the tarnish fell, it too, transformed to bright flecks of silver and settled on her tattered little shoes and they became silver slippers.
Then she took buckets of dew and carefully washed each and every stripe of the rainbow until they glittered like emeralds, pearls, diamonds, sapphires and rubies.
A few hours before daybreak, little Jennie Catherine Angel Fairie was feeling a tired contentment and gently fell to the floor of heaven and went sound asleep.
The moon came to her and carefully scooped her up, cradled her and rocked her to an even deeper, peaceful sleep. The clouds gently covered her with themselves, a warm comforting blanket. And the rainbow encircled her and brought vivid dreams of her running through the woods, sitting in the garden, splashing in the ponds and all the delights that had been hers on earth.
Softly and Suddenly at the Same time, the SUN rose .. awakening Jennie Catherine Angel Fairie to the Glory of Heaven .. and as her eyes opened .. there stood ... GOD ... in all His Glory before her. He leaned down and picked her up and walked her to His throne and sat her on His lap as He enfolded her in His arms. The 7 beautiful fairies' eyes blinked open at the brightest sun they had ever seen in all of heaven .. but this was not the sun shining .. it was the brightness and lightness of the love of Jennie Catherine.
They gathered at the feet of God as He held Jennie Catherine and He told her that she would forever and always not only be an Angel in Heaven and indeed be able to fly with the wind and through the clouds with her beloved earth birds, but that she, at any time she wanted, would be allowed to return to earth to all the nature she had so loved.
And then God sang this song to her:
JENNIE CATHERINE, ANGEL FAIRIE
WITH SILVER SHOES AND GOLDEN WINGS
SHE FLIES THROUGH THE AIR
AND SOARS WITH THE BIRDS
SHE WALKS THROUGH THE FLOWERS
AND SINGS WITH THE BUTTERFLIES
HER EYES ARE BLUE .. BLUE AS THE SKIES
HER HAIR AS GOLDEN AS THE SUN.
***********
Written with love for Jennie Catherine (Eddy) .. my very own dearest Angel Fairie .. by her Grammie.
When she was just a baby ... I would hold Jennie Catherine in my arms .. looking into her deep blue eyes and her beautiful little face framed by golden hair and sing this little song to her .. I must have sung it to her every day of her life .. and one day, when she could talk .. she asked: "Grammie, tell me the story of Jennie Catherine Angel Fairie" .. and so this story was born.
(Jennie Catherine .. i hold you in the deepest part of my heart forever and always .. I love you. Grammie)
