The Orange Balloon

The large, bright-orange, helium-filled balloon
caught her eye, so she bought it to give to her
four-year-old granddaughter, who would soon
be arriving for a week’s visit, like every December.

The girl and her parents lived four states away,
and the grandmother saw them only twice a year.
She tried to make each visit fun, filled with play
and outings to the amusement park that’s near.

Upon arrival, the child was delighted when she spied
the orange balloon waiting for her. She took it out
in the yard to play; around her wrist its string was tied.
All too soon the balloon was free, lost without doubt,

as it soared up toward the sky. But then, it became
ensnared in the uppermost branches of an ash tree
standing barren in its winter nakedness. Next came
the child’s shouts of dismay, bringing all out to see.

To ease her granddaughter’s crying at the lost balloon,
the grandmother told her, “That balloon was filled
with my love for you. It can watch over you from noon
‘til night from up there. So, let your crying be stilled.”

Every morning when they awoke, they’d check to see
whether the orange balloon was still watching over them,
and each morning it was still there. They all did agree
that having the balloon in the tree was good for them.

The granddaughter would look up at the balloon all
during the day and smile. On the morning they were
to leave to return home, the tree was standing tall…
and empty. The balloon was gone, which caused a stir.

The granddaughter cried at the sight. “No need to cry,
dear. I ‘ll bet that balloon just got a head start on the trip
to your house. I think it wanted to go there to supply
you with proof that my love for you can make the trip

“to cover the distance between us so that you have always
my love with you. Look for it when you get home,” said
the grandmother. This made the child happy. For two days
of driving, she asked if the balloon really had gone ahead.

She was so disappointed when the orange balloon was
nowhere to be seen when they arrived home, but then
her parents explained she needed to be patient because
a balloon can’t travel as fast as a car. The girl had been

so hopeful that the balloon carrying her grandmother’s
love would be there that she couldn’t help being sad.
The next morning she excitedly awoke to her mother’s
saying an orange balloon was waiting outside, that it had

safely made the trip. This thrilled the little girl above
anything she’d known, for if a balloon could bridge the
distance between them, surely her grandmother’s love
also could. The orange balloon was proof she could see.


Please check out my ten books:
http://www.amazon.com/Jr.-Harry-E.-Gilleland/e/B004SVLY02/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0