The Story
Daavi and his beloved older sister Shoshana live next door to the village carpenter Yeshu. Entranced by tales the carpenter spins as he works, the young neighbors become Yeshu’s helpers, learning of a starpath upon which people can journey to the heavens. One day Shoshana goes missing, leaving Daavi devastated and his family in denial.
Daavi’s growth is made deeper by Yeshu’s wilderness-walking cousin, Yohanan, who periodically passes through town and shows Daavi how nature’s humblest creatures can be guides to the Spirit moving within us. And how wilderness can be just a few steps away.
But Yohanan is murdered by the King, and Daavi reels from a second life blow. Soon he hooks his star to Yeshu’s as the youngest member of a traveling mission to heal the wounds of a conquered Jewish people, by teaching love and justice and turning away from violence. He searches every face he encounters for Shoshana’s.
Adventures along the road bond Daavi to members of the wandering band, notably Maria Magdalena and the Thunder Brothers, James and John. They treat him as their equal, and he blossoms in their light. But all hope seems dashed with Yeshu’s execution. Daavi struggles mightily to recover his footing and to discover whether his old friend lives on. If so, where is he?
With Maria’s help, Daavi discovers his own mission and finds Yeshu’s words and examples shining through his own life, as he serves others in need. The search for self is culminating but the search for home and community has just begun.
Rooted in Quaker values, and with nature playing the role of a major protagonist, YESHU is written for readers of all ages and spiritual backgrounds. For a taste of the novel, go to “Selections,” or visit “Selected Stories” to read any of six chapters excerpted from the manuscript and published as free-standing short stories, plus two other related pieces.
Having been guided through life by the foremost storyteller of all times, Daavi invites you to make his tale your own. Where this takes you will be along a path that can only be made by walking toward where you are led.
