Jacob's House

         Once there was a young man named Jacob who was just getting old enough to make his own way in life, so his father gave him a piece of land and told him to build himself a home and develop the land. The young man was like most young men and loved to have fun. So he didn't put too much thought into the house that he built on his land. He threw a few boards together and hung a curtain across the hole that served as the door, and then after the work of planting his crops was done, he spent the rest of his time with his friends and family and enjoyed himself.

         One day, as he was lounging around in town visiting with some of his friends, Jacob saw the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. He found out that her name was Mary, and he began to dream of making her his wife. Mary did not seem opposed to Jacob's attentions, and so Jacob's hopes began to rise. However, it soon became apparent to him, that he had no home suitable to bring a young wife.

         Suddenly Jacob was motivated to build a much better home than he already had. And so he began to wonder how he could build a house that would be acceptable to Mary. His friends had all sorts of advice for him. They suggested a ballroom, towers, a chandelier, vast wings that had many bedrooms for multiple guests, and just a few other of these sorts of things.

         As Jacob thought about all the things his friends were suggesting, he wondered how on earth he would ever be able to build such a home. He became a bit discouraged, because several of his friends insisted that he would need a nice house if he were going to impress Mary. In this attitude, he went to see his father.

         His father listened to him as he poured out his heart about his love for Mary and his need to provide for her the kind of home she would want to spend the rest of her life in. When Jacob was finished, his father responded, asking a few questions, and helping him see that Mary likely was more interested in building a home with him, even if it were a small one, rather than obtaining a grand house. So Jacob began to feel more optimistic. But he still needed to build a home.

         His father sent him away with the promise that he would come the next day and they would build a nice home for Mary together. He kept his promise. The next morning, bright and early, Jacob's father appeared at the door of his makeshift home with his hammer and his saw in hand.

         The two of them worked hard together. They build a small place, with only one room, just big enough for a couple in love. It had a fireplace, a stove, a loft, a bed, and a table. There were two small windows. The floor was laid with wood. It was perfect. And just as his father had promised Jacob, Mary loved it—mostly because Mary loved Jacob.

         The two were married and they lived very happily in the little home. Mary made curtains and a beautiful quilt for the bed. She grew flowers and vegetables in their garden. Jacob loved to come home every evening to his lovely little home where Mary was always waiting eagerly for him.

         Before long, a tiny new baby joined the family, and Jacob and Mary were happier than ever. But soon there was a new problem. The tiny baby grew, and soon another little baby joined the family, and then another. The little house was becoming too small.

         Jacob's father came over again. They added a new room to the East side of the house. Then, for good measure, they added another room on the West, just in case. And of course, Mary and Jacob added a few more little ones to their family, so the extra room was soon filled as well. Over the course of a few years, Jacob's father came several times, and before long, they had a nice sitting room at the front of the house, and they had added another two extra bedrooms. The house was quite comfortable for the family now, even though the children were all growing bigger.

         It was shortly after they finished these additions, that Jacob's father passed away. Jacob was very sad, and yet also, very grateful for the home that his father had helped him provide his family. Every time he sat in his home enjoying the company of his family, he was filled with gratitude for his father.

         Jacob took after his father. He frequently went to others' homes and helped them. He would help them raise their crops, build their homes and barns, care for their animals, and anything else that they had need of. He didn't have any special schooling or special skills, but he always gave to others with his whole heart, and others felt his love, and loved him too.

         Because of Jacob's earnest desire to help others, he was elected mayor of the town. He was surprised that a farmer who had no special standing would be elected mayor. He didn't think he was better than anyone else. But he accepted the position, because he felt that he could continue to help the people of the town as their mayor. For the most part, he just continued helping them with their chores and everything was the same as before.

         However, after some time passed, he realized that the town was lacking a place for the people to get together.  There was a meadow that the people would often gather in during the summer, but in the cold months of the wintertime, there was no where for the people to meet together. There was no building large enough.

         After pondering over this problem for some time, he discussed it with the townspeople. They discussed it at length and then they asked Jacob if they could work together to add a large room onto his house, so that they could meet there. They knew that Jacob would always open his home to them, even after he was no longer mayor. Jacob agreed.

         The men in the town spent their spare hours the entire summer that year at Jacob's house, adding a grand ballroom to it. They also added a few more bedrooms, so that when people passed through town, they could come to Jacob's house to stay. Their was a whole wing of bedrooms to the East and whole wing of bedrooms to the West. The grand ballroom was added on to the North. The people of the town pooled their money and purchased a chandelier for the ballroom. It was a grand sight to see.

         All this meant a great deal more work for Mary, since she had to keep the place clean. But Mary was happy to provide a nice place for people to gather. The women in the town would come over before any special events, and help Mary prepare her home. Many times, the women would come over to help her even when there were no special events planned. They loved Mary's company. And they loved to bring their children to play, because Jacob and Mary's children were polite and helpful just like their parents.

         Many events were held in that ballroom. There were dances, and dinners, and sometimes political meetings and other such events. Jacob's house became a place where people knew they would always be welcome.

         One day a very serious meeting was held in the ballroom. War had been proclaimed. The town was right on the border near the fighting. The people of the town were in great danger. They needed safety from the armies of the enemy.

         Immediately following the meeting, the men of the town stopped whatever they were doing, and came to Jacob's house, to modify it for the town's safety. They built a strong stone wall around it with a large courtyard. They built towers on each corner of the wall so soldiers could stand on top of them and see out over the land surrounding Jacob's house to spot any enemies before they could get close. Barracks were built around the wall to house soldiers. The town was ready for the war.

         The war lasted several years. Many times the townspeople had to rush to Jacob's house for safety. They brought their horses and and kept them safe in the courtyard. The women and children slept in the bedrooms, often filling them completely with many people sleeping on the floor. The men would sleep in the barracks where they could see out of the walls through slits and fight any oncoming enemies. There were cellars full of food to keep the people fed while they were waiting for the battles to be completed. No one was able to conquer Jacob's town because of the great defense of Jacob's house.

         Finally the war was over. Peace came again to the land. Jacob's house was once again used only for parties and meetings, not for defense. Everything went back to normal.

         One day, Jacob climbed the hill beside his house. By this time, he was old. His sons had fought in the war, and one of them was even killed. The rest of his children were married, and they often brought their little children to Jacob's house. He sat on the hill and he remembered all the good years that he had lived in that home. He remembered his father, his wedding day, his children as they grew and learned and experienced life. His heart was full of gratitude for the great and wonderful blessings of his life.

         As he looked down on his home, he suddenly realized that his house was no longer a house. It was in fact, a castle, complete with a ballroom, courtyard, towers, and everything else a castle needed. When he realized this, his heart was full of joy.

         He slowly descended the hill, went inside his home, found Mary, and gave her a little kiss on her forehead. She was busy as usual, but she smiled that beautiful smile that he had always loved.

         That night, as the two of them were sleeping peacefully, Jacob slipped quietly into the next life. Not long after that, Mary followed him. The two of them were buried on the hill behind Jacob's house.

         In later years, after Jacob and his wife had long been laid to rest in the earth, people would come to Jacob's house and see the grand castle that stood there. They would look up at the great walls, the towers, and chandelier, and they would say, a great king and queen must have lived here. And they were, of course, absolutely correct.