Harvesting Acorns (14 page)

By
Tuesday morning the first three phone calls and two e-mails had come through
with pledges towards Hannah’s treatment. Chloe was over the moon. She couldn’t
wait for James to get out of school that day so that she could tell him. He
astounded her even more with his reaction.

“Please
deliver an acorn to every person who donates. They are making my dream come
true, and giving Hannah hope, they all deserve a dream of their own to come
true.”

This
little boy continued to amaze Chloe. She asked him to design a card explaining
exactly what he had just said so that she could send it with the acorn. She got
beautiful little gift boxes for each acorn and had James’ design printed onto the
front of a card with instructions for planting the acorns on the back. Inside
was a picture of Hannah and James and a short thank you note.

Within
a week they had twenty more pledges and had been delivering gifted acorns
around town. News spread and the articles were circulated and within another
week pledges started to come in from all around the country. Other reporters
arrived and asked to do stories for magazines in their areas. James’ initiative
had begun to touch the hearts of people all over the country and pledges came
from all corners of the country and some requests for magic acorns from people
needing a little, or a lot, of hope of their own. James and Chloe decided to
keep gathering acorns, they realised there were so many more people willing to
open their hearts to help Hannah and needing dreams of their own. Ben came one
afternoon to help and James’ grandparents also joined, and then Phoebe and Jean
Pierre arrived too. They all had so much fun collecting together, knowing they
were spreading hope far and wide, not only for Hannah, but for so many others
facing hardships of their own. They laughed and talked and had a wonderful time
and then James had another idea.

“Why
don’t we arrange a Saturday afternoon picnic in the park where people can come
and find their own acorn?” he asked shyly as everyone hushed and looked at him.
“We have only collected just over two hundred; this tree should produce around
two thousand, which is many more dreams that may find a home.”

Joel
answered him, “That would be a
fantastic
idea, James.
We could hold a fundraising event. We can sell picnic baskets and have games,
like paper sailboat races on the dam with all the funds going towards Hannah’s
treatment.”

“Yes!”
James almost shrieked, “But the only things we will not sell are the acorns.
Dreams should always be free. They should never come at a price.”

Chloe agreed with him.

“Yes,
and if people feel that they would like to help towards Hannah’s treatment
based on that, they should be allowed to do so freely, without any obligation,”
she said.

So
they all set about planning the picnic in the park with many exciting events
and preparing picnic baskets. Chloe ran an article in the magazine and sent an
advert to the local newspaper promoting the event. Phoebe baked biscuits,
muffins, and croissants for the baskets. Chloe organised the gift boxes so that
everyone could take their acorn home beautifully packaged and with James’
message of hope and gratitude. Everyone found some way to contribute to
preparing for the picnic and by the time the day arrived, everything was
perfect. That morning they all gathered to set up the tables and benches in the
park. It was a perfect morning, not a breath of wind and the sun sparkling
through the leaves of the oak. She stood proud and elegant, a gracious hostess
welcoming her guests to her Party of Hope. By midday the first guests began to
arrive. Within an hour the park was lively and full with people bustling to
find a place to picnic.

There
was such a spirit of love and community that filled the spaces between
strangers. All were here for the same reason – to give and receive hope. This
shared wish tied the hearts of this multitude of people together. People were
introducing themselves, sharing their stories, offering encouragement and
commending each other’s victories. The park was filled with survivors coming to
pay their dues by helping others, especially Hannah. Others had sick children
too and had come for their acorn of dreams. Chloe called James aside, she had a
big request.

“James,
how would you feel about giving a short speech? All of these people are here
because of your unselfish dream. You have touched their hearts and have given
them hope. Would you say a few words?”

James hesitated.

“I
am really shy, I would not know what to say.”

“You
are a very wise young person James, whatever you say will be perfect,” Chloe
encouraged.

“All
right, I will try,” James agreed.

After
everyone seemed to have finished eating and had been enjoying the games for a
while, Chloe called everyone’s attention over the microphone. The crowd
gathered together around where she was standing.

“Thank
you all for being here today. Your support and the spirit in which you are here
mean the world to everyone concerned. It is beautiful to see the willingness to
help and the love in your hearts. James, the special person who started this,
would like to say a few words.” James stepped up shyly and took the microphone.

“Thank
you, for helping my friend Hannah. My dream is for her to get better and for
there to be funds for her treatment. You are all helping to make my dream come
true. Please, I want you all to find your acorn. Treasure it. Water it. Nurture
it. Watch it grow. And as it grows, know your dream is growing with it too.
Thank you all.” As he handed the microphone back to Chloe the crowd exploded
into applause and there was not a single person in the crowd without tears
streaming down their faces. Chloe took the microphone back and continued.

“As
James said, thank you all for helping Hannah with your prayers, thoughts and
donations. The other challenge that we would like to appeal to you all is
this…” and she proceeded to explain about the shortage of bone marrow donors
nationwide and how many other children were on waiting lists.

She
urged everyone to register as donors and gave out the contact details for the
registry. As they all started to disperse, a young lady stepped up to Chloe and
whispered something to her. Chloe handed her the microphone and she addressed
Ben who was standing beneath the tree with Grace and Joel. The crowd stopped
and turned to listen as well.

“I
am Clara, and I am secretary to a prominent businessman who has asked to remain
anonymous. He has said that whatever treatment Hannah needs that has not been
covered by what has already been raised - he will fund the full balance and all
further costs involved.”

Ben
burst into tears and stood among the crowd, speechless and unable to move from
his spot. Chloe went to him and put her hand on his arm.

He
looked at her and took her hands, “Thank you Chloe, for believing in James, and
for all you have done to bring this moment into being. I am forever grateful.”

“James
is our little hero. He, one small boy with a dream, has brought us to this
moment. He has brought a nation together in goodwill and sparked the flames of
purpose and determination in all of our hearts. We are all blessed to know
him.”

Chloe
put her arm around James and gave him a hug, then she went back to speak to
Clara. The crowd had dispersed again and people began packing up. James went to
stand at the gate, giving each person the gift box for their acorn and thanking
them for their time and generosity.

Clara
told Chloe she would call her on the Monday to get further information and
liaise with her regarding what funding was still outstanding and where things
would go from there. They greeted each other and the Chloe went back to speak
to Ben.

“It
is all happening now Ben, very quickly. Can I meet with you tomorrow to get an
idea of the costs and where we begin?” she asked.

Ben
was still mesmerised and in shock.

“Yes,
come over for tea tomorrow morning and we can talk about it then.”

They
all left, awestruck and overwhelmed by the day’s events. Chloe went home and
climbed into a hot bath, this was becoming one of her favourite pass times. She
had a glass of wine next to her and her book. She just needed to unwind after
being supercharged on the excitement of the day. She tried to reflect on the
events leading up to this, from her arrival in town, meeting Phoebe and then
James, and then today! It was astounding at how it had all happened in such a
short space of time, without any planning or even an inkling of a hint at what
was going to happen.

She
thought that not one single person who had been there that day could possibly
have predicted the day’s outcome. She thought about James, how such a tiny idea
had sparked a chain reaction that within a few weeks had made his dream come
true at such a high magnitude. She thought about Joel and Grace and how their
childhood dream had been the initial instigation, and their keeping of
tradition that led James to his belief in the tree’s magic.

Magic…
it was such a mysterious and fantasy evoking word. Whether it existed or not
depended on the once perceiving it. Someone more cynical could say that it was
just a tree, like any other tree, that produced acorns, just like any other
acorns. That it was more the romance of a little boy’s belief that roused
people’s interest and compassion. Chloe believed a little differently. After
hearing Joel and Grace’s story, her experience in the park with James when the
first nut fell, and what had just happened today… Chloe found herself believing
in magic. And if she believed in magic, then she most definitely believed in miracles.
And serendipity.

Everything
was being orchestrated by a great power that when kind, loving, unselfish
thoughts were sent out to it, it bent over backwards to create miracles and
support goodness and love. Chloe had never been religious, but she believed in
that power. She started to feel comfort in that that she had never before
experienced. It felt nice to feel support for good intentions. To feel that
there was something bigger than her looking out for her wellbeing and guiding
her in her decisions, even when they seemed to be the wrong choices.

The
next morning she met with Ben and they discussed a starting point. He would be
meeting with the doctors the next morning to tell them the good news and that
they could go ahead with starting the process of a bone marrow transplant for
Hannah. The first step would be to begin testing Ben as a donor for Hannah’s
transplant. He would ask the doctors to put all the quotes together of current
and expected costs for post transplant treatment.

Chloe
was enthralled listening to and watching him. She remembered the day she met
him and the worried and fatigued stance he had had. Now he was bursting with
renewed energy and enthusiasm. His hope had been restored. His little girl was
going to receive all that she needed to help her be healthy again. They spoke
about it for some time more. They both acknowledged that it was going to be a
long and difficult journey, both for Hannah and for Ben who would need to be
strong to take care of her. They also chatted about their lives and Ben
recounted the challenges of raising Hannah alone and the special bond they had.

It
had been a difficult pregnancy for her mother and they nearly lost Hannah a few
times. She had not been a very strong woman physically and carrying Hannah and
the constant hospital visits had taken a toll on her health. She had lost a lot
of blood during the birth and the doctors had done everything they could to
save her but she just had not been strong enough to fight. She lived long
enough to hold Hannah for a moment and name her. Hannah; it meant ‘Graceful
one’.

And
graceful she was. She dreamed of being a ballerina princess.  Ben had been
devastated. It was such a bitter sweet moment, the death of his wife and the
birth of his child. Such a joyous moment had been tainted by his grief. Hannah
had been such a beautiful baby, and was such a pleasure as a baby. She slept and
fed well and was always full of smiles. She had reached all of her milestones
on time and as she grew her character developed into a sweet, loving and
affectionate little person. She was kind to everyone but enjoyed her own
company. The friendship she had with James was quite unusual for Ben to see at
first.

When
she got ill, Ben was terrified. All those old memories of his wife’s poor
health and her decline during her pregnancy came rushing back. He was tormented
day and night by the thought of losing Hannah too. His life was devoted to her,
it had just been the two of them for eight years and he liked it that way. He
had dedicated his life to protecting her and making sure she was happy. The
tears welled again.

“Thank
you again Chloe, for stepping in when I didn’t know which way to turn.” Genuine
gratitude reflected in his eyes. Chloe felt a strange feeling, and not
recognising it, brushed it aside and continued with their conversation.

“I
was just the catalyst for what James dreamed. I was drawn to him by the dream
he cast out beneath that tree.”

Chloe left and Ben said he would
contact her the next day to let her know what the doctors said and when
everything could begin.