Tragedy always seems to be with us, around the corner, down the street, on the evening news, headlines in the newspaper or the grocery store tabloid, in the movies and best selling novels.  It really is difficult to imagine life on Earth without tragedy.  The illusion of tragedy is one of our most difficult hurdles and one of our most precious gifts.  Without tragedy we might not have such a clear opportunity to learn compassion and forgiveness.  Even the illusions have necessary functions.  The trap for us is becoming attached to our illusions.

I was sitting with my friend, Carol, watching a beautiful sunrise about ten years ago when she casually mused that someday she wanted to write a story about a little acorn.  I immediately knew that I, too, would write a story......called The Littlest Acorn.  I sat down at a computer the next morning and wrote it down as it came to me.  Little did I know that what I wrote in the beginning would be referred back to at the end.  I just wrote. 

The story was about the experiences of a tiny acorn that had could not imagine any significant contribution to All That Is.  After all, she was the Littlest Acorn of All!  Her experiences and those of the Butterfly comprise the keys to the Twin Towers of Tragedy

The mark of your ignorance
is the depth of your belief
in injustice and tragedy.
What the caterpillar
calls the end of the world
the Master calls a butterfly.

                        Richard Bach, Illusions

The following is an excerpt from my book, The Littlest Acorn:

One day a butterfly came fluttering by almost giddy with exciting news.  Settling upon a thistle flower he raised and lowered his wings.  "Hi, Littlest Acorn!  Do you remember me?" he said.

"You know me?  I'm sure I would remember such a colorful being.  No, I don't remember you," said Littlest Acorn.

"Remember the times I came to play with you.  We laughed and giggled.  You thought that my feet tickled.  I grabbed you and we rolled around until you were dizzy."

"Caterpillar?  You're Caterpillar?  I can't believe it!  What happened?"

 "I know!  It was a surprise for me, too!  I spent all that time creeping along quite content to munch my way from one end of the forest to the other!  I never guessed I had a butterfly inside of me!"

"What did you do to become a butterfly?" asked an astonished acorn.

 "I didn't do anything!" exclaimed Butterfly.  "I was just munching along when I got a strange urge to climb up into a tree.  It was such a great view that I wanted to build a little   house up there.  A treehouse!  I had never heard or even dreamed of such a thing!  But when I finished I realized that I had forgotten to make a window... or a door!  I had no way to see out... or even to get out.  I was trapped!  Then I remembered, I had no food or water!  'And it's dark in here!  Oh, moths and frosts!  What've I done! Help, help!  Someone let me out of here!'  I screamed and cried. I beat on the walls, but no one  heard me."

"So how did you get out? she asked.

"Well, after I fussed and squirmed for a while I became quite tired and...I guess I slept for a long time.  When I woke up I yawned and as  I stretched I heard a loud cra-a-a-c-k.  I stretched again and again there was a loud cra-a-a-c-k.  Now I could see a little bit of light in my treehouse so I kept on stretching until I could wriggle out into the fresh air and sunlight.  At last! I was free again!  Only......when I stretched I noticed these big colorful.....things.  As I moved them up and down and up and down slowly in the sunlight they changed color and flashed so brilliantly!  And the faster I moved them up and down, the faster they flashed until...I noticed I was raising up above the branch!  I was so surprised that when I stopped moving them I settled back on the branch.  My heart was beating so fast!  I was scared?  What did I just do?  Caterpillars don't fly...but I had just been flying!

"Right! When you and I were playing you didn't have wings, Caterpillar.  I mean..."

"Butterfly!  Call me 'Butterfly!“  And I was noticing all the flowers.  As hungry as I was I  just didn't feel like munching leaves anymore.  Flowers!  What was it about flowers?  That's when I noticed this long tube rolled up in front of my face.  I could unroll it and then roll it up again.  So I tried it with a pretty flower and.....nectar!  How sweet it is!  Wings, flying, flowers, sweetness, beauty, grace—a butterfly!  Can you believe it?!"

 "I. uh..I'm not sure.  I--I guess so.  I guess life is full of surprises...isn't it? stuttered Littlest Acorn.

Butterfly was already fluttering off to the other beings of the forest, excitedly telling them the news.  Caterpillar had seemed playful enough, but Butterfly couldn't seem to keep joy from bubbling over.  Flitting about playfully from flower to flower, he was drinking their nectar and sunning himself on their leaves.  Butterfly almost seemed to be showing off as he slowly raised and lowered his wings.  But no one minded.  He brought so much joy and beauty to the forest.

Later, the Littlest Acorn would discover the same mystery and magic.  Here are the Twin Towers of Tragedy dedicated to those who still believe the illusion: