THE Gift OF White Lilies

ONCE UPON A TIME ...... When I Was eight years old some school friends came over  to my home at that time to pick white lily's  that were in bloom !

My Dad had strict rules for me to follow and
 for every child visiting that day.  We all had to stay on the old dirt road path way because there was an old abandon water well some where in the area.

One kid Eddie turned out to be a big problem ! He had his little baby brother with him. WHO WOULD FOLLOW HIM ALMOST ANY WHERE.

Follow him he did when Eddie left the road for some woods. I called them to come back. But did they? No!

So I also left the road to fetch them or try to. Under they went in an old animal path under a dead cedar tree. What a shock on the other side. It was the old water well! Dirt was piled up against a group of cedar trees. Eddie dropped his Lilly's and jumped across the well. I tried to get the baby boy and my self back under the dead tree. Try as I might The tree caught at our clothes keeping us trapped there.

So all that seemed left to do was to get across that water well. We could have sat there for ever waiting for help. Looks good now!  I wind milled the baby boy around me and then let him fly through the air. He fell clear of the well on the other side!

Then it was my turn but first I gathered up all the lily's in to my arms , climbed as high up on the dirt slope as I could and started running. Into the air I flew, almost there my foot landed on the soft moss on the other side ! But it gave way under my skinny weight. I could see Eddie and his baby brother watching me as I sank out of sight  and fell down into the ice cold water . Looking up ward and it was like a night sky with a million stars !

Was this well built like the way my dad built them, with wood walls?  No, it turned out to be an under ground cave. I started treading water to keep on top. I was remembering  the older women talking about my mother going to heaven when she died /passed on. If I ever needed help to just call out to her! Well, I needed help big time! "Help me please" !  I could hear my dog barking and the baby boy crying. I said to my dog go get help and the barking stopped.

Just then I could see dirt starting to fall from the edge at the top and in that falling dirt was something unrolling down to my hand. Then there it was! A tiny blackberry vine of the area. I grab it and ouch they cut into my hand. I gave a kick and raised  up my other hand over the first and up I went hand over hand over hand until I was out of the well laying far away from the edge and then the tiny two inches of root broke off under the moss. I knew something special had happened. I felt under the moss for the other part of that root but found nothing.  I started crying then and looked up into the sunny sky and said "Thank You!'


I got up and walked over to the old road  and took the crying babies hand, saying" Lets go home!"
My yellow dress was printed with the dark dead leaves that were in the well water. Suddenly my dog was running up the dirt road to us all smiles. I knelt down and she was in my arms crying and talking to me so happy I was alive!

Then we could see Eddie talking to my dad. My dad looked up and saw us coming toward them. He was in shock!  He then took his belt out of his pants and started swinging it at me! Eddie was standing there with his baby brother and Eddie started laughing about my getting whipped. My dad turned on them and said if you don't want the same, Go Home!

The next day people from all over had gathered to speak with me. Telling me how happy they were that I was alive ! My dad was watching me from the back ground looking stern. Hating my smiling face  and thank yous to the nice people.

After they had gone he gathered a gunny sack a piece of rope and rocks he put in the gunny sack. He asked me to show him the well. So I did. He put the gunny sack on the ground and called my dog to him and made her crawl into the gunny sack. I started screaming, No no, no! Stop , stop!!!!! He tied the gunny sack tight and then threw it with my dog inside into the well! I looked down thinking can I jump back in and save her? I looked at my dad like he was a stranger and then I turned and ran .

I ran into darkness my mind went black wiping that memory away for all those young years ahead of me until I turned 40 years old. But now I was like a zombie asleep and they would care for me like a baby. They  sat me in a chair in the center of the room to keep watch over me. Until one day an old elder Native American sat down in a chair by the wall and reached out his hands to take hold of my hands and said a prayer for me. I suddenly awoke! Not knowing of anything that had happened. I was awake, I was alive Again!


So as school had already started for the fall. I was soon back in school once again. A different school in a tribal community. Yelm , Washington.

The little grand daughter of the older man who prayed for me then introduced him to me as Crazy Horse! I was shocked and said that can't be true as Crazy Horse is said to be dead in history lessons!
She gently took both my hands in hers and said No, no, he is Crazy Horses grandson! Ohhhhh a grandson! He smiled as I got the connection.Over the years ones have claimed to have known the family but their stories do not match. It is just famous lime light talk. But this little girl was very serious and I tend to believe her and take her at her word. I still thank him for his strong gift of healing that day.


WRITTEN BY  Judy Ann Gilman Ensing /  Born October 2nd,  /    September 24th, 2018

I was told by a woman head of the religious department at Mercy Hospital, with my health failing I can now seek the same help, hand over hand, hand over hand, as I have been shown the way. As she wanted to know if I believed in a Creator . Said she was not trying to convert me to her beliefs but wondered what I was:) So I told her my life"s story.
. Ah that was a sweet reply she gave me ! Thank You!