Growth can be gritty. Life requires that we go through this constant metamorphosis, and it provides us with relationships that constantly show us the things we need to change. The people we love hold up mirrors to us over and over again, to help us face the parts of ourselves we are initially afraid of. Sometimes we let our pride blind us to that need for growth. Sometimes we feel overwhelmed by the list of things we know we need to change. Sometimes we’re just tired. We’re human, and that’s ok, but we must not forget that the ability to change is a divine gift. There is an important beauty in working at growth one step at a time… the more weaknesses you see, the closer you are to the Light. 

On today’s episode of The Apple Seed, we’ll catch ourselves cheering the characters on as they keep trying and learning and growing! Perhaps we can practice seeing ourselves the way we see characters in a story – we are worth loving even in our imperfection, and we can become who we want to become with others’ help. 

On today's episode, enjoy the following:

"Mira Massimo!" by Pam Faro from Why Didn’t I Think of That?: Seeking Solutions – Some Sassy, Some Silly, Some Smart (10:52)

Our first story comes from gifted storyteller and musician Pam Faro. She tells of a father and son who are misjudged on their trek to town – with every passing judgement, they adjust to adhere to the eyes of their passers-by, until things go terribly wrong. As Pam Faro pulls from her album Why Didn’t I Think of That?: Seeking Solutions – Some Sassy, Some Silly, Some Smart, she’ll use energy and song to show us that, sometimes, the mirrors others hold up will show that our way of life is working just fine, and that we do not need to change something just because someone else misunderstands it. 

"It’s How You Say It" by Len Cabral from It’s How You Say It (5:35)

In this next piece, "It's How You Say It", Award-winning, master storyteller Len Cabral illustrates how we can find good in unexpected places, if we have the courage to look. 

"Lei Queen" by Jeff Gere from Guardians of the Trees: Inspiring Tales of Hawaii (8:09)

As Jeff Gere tells of his peaceful conversation with a bold local islander, he illustrates the evolutionary power that love can bring to one’s life. Listen in as Jeff regales the story "Lei Queen" from his album Guardians of the Trees: Inspiring Tales of Hawaii, and shows us that even those who seem rough around the edges have done their share of growing, too.

"The Nails and the Fencepost" by Jenni Cargill-Strong from Reaching for the Moon II (3:32)

Award-winning Australian storyteller Jenni Cargill-Strong tells of a man with a terrible temper. When he finds the desire to change, he consults the town wise man, who presents him with a strange but powerful object lesson as a cure for his anger. 

"Three Minstrels" by Dolores Hydock from Silence: A Medieval Adventure in Story and Song (16:50)

This story, as told by Dolores Hydock, is of a young boy who runs from home to follow and be taught by two skilled minstrels. As the boy grows older, his skills surpass that of the two master minstrels. They grow jealous of his talent, and devise a plan to be rid of him.