| by Rebecca Springer Originally titled "Intra Muros" Published 1922 |
Within the
Gates The Great Forest and Plain My brother walked by me, absorbed in silent thought, but with a touch beyond even his usual gentleness. I did not ask where we were going at that unusual hour, so far from home, for fear and doubt and questionings no longer vexed the quiet of my soul. Although the forest was dense, the golden glow of the twilight rested beneath the trees, and sifted down through the quivering branches overhead, as though falling through the windows of some great cathedral. At length we emerged from the forest upon a vast plain that stretched out into limitless space before us, and far away we faintly heard the thunder of the breaking waves of that immortal sea of which I had heard so much but had not yet seen. Except for their faint and distant reverberation, the silence about us was intense. It was a beautiful, memorable scene, which we gazed at for some time.
When we turned to go, I was surprised
that we did not return into the forest, but went still further out upon
the plain. But when I saw that we approached the juncture of two nearby
streams, I began to understand that we would return by way of river,
instead of by forest and lake. We reached the stream at length, and stepping into a boat that lay by the shore, we were soon floating with the current toward home. We passed through much beautiful scenery on our course that I had not seen before, and which I resolved I would visit in the future, when leisure from my daily duties would permit. Lovely villas, surrounded by beautiful grounds stretching directly up from the water's edge, lay on both sides of the river and formed a panorama upon which the eye never tired of resting. Toward the end of the journey we passed my sister's lovely home, and we could plainly see her and her husband drinking in the scene with enraptured eyes from the window of their own room. My brother and I were both silent the greater part of the time during our journey homeward, though each noted with observant eyes the signs of happy domestic life by which we were surrounded on every side. The verandas and steps of the homes we passed were full of their happy inmates. Glad voices and songs could be heard constantly, and merry little shouts of laughter came from the throngs of little children playing everywhere upon the flowery lawns. Once I broke the silence by saying to my brother, "I have more than once been delightfully surprised to hear the familiar songs of Earth reproduced in Heaven." "These happy surprises do not come by chance," he answered. "One of the delights of this rare life is that no occasion is ever overlooked for reproducing here the pure enjoyments of our mortal life. It is our Father's pleasure to make us realize that this existence is but a continuation of the former life, only without its imperfections and its cares." "Frank, I believe you are the only one of four friends here who has never questioned me about the dear ones left behind. Why is it?" He smiled a peculiarly happy smile as he answered, "Perhaps it is because I already know more than you could tell me." "I wondered if it were not so," I said, for I remembered well how my dear father had said, in speaking of my brother upon the first day of my coming, "He stands very near the Master," and I knew how often he was sent on missions.
I lay down upon my couch on our return,
with a heart overflowing with
joy and gratitude and love beyond the power of expression. "I will
reach the standard You have set before me, my Savior," I prayed, with
hands clasped and uplifted to Him, "If it takes all of my life in
Heaven and all the help from Your angels of light to accomplish it."
With these words upon my lips, I sank into the blissful repose of
Heaven. |
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