For Kids and Families - WordPress.com · 2018-02-01 · Love Michelle Lores Page 16 looked around. Soon, when he looked up, he realized where the little pigeon had fallen from. “Well

Stories and Tales Filled with

~God’s Love~

For

Kids and Families

By: Michelle Lores

Stories and Tales Filled with God’s Love

Michelle Lores Page 2

Copyright © 2016 by Michelle Lores

All illustrations

Copyright © 2016 by Michelle Lores

Stories and Tales Filled with God’s Love For Kids and Families

By Michelle Lores

All rights reserved solely by the author. The

author guarantees all contents are original

and do not infringe upon the legal rights of

any other person or work. No part of this

book may be reproduced in any form without

the permission of the author.



This book is dedicated to my nephew,

Elijah.

Keep dreaming big, EJ!

God made you a special gift to this

world.

I love you!

Love, Auntie Michelle





~Contents~

Chapter 1: A Mouse Named Flores

Chapter 2: A Pigeon Named Pete

Chapter 3: An Angelfish Named Swan

Chapter 4: Bobby’s Marble

Chapter 5: Daisy the Cat

Chapter 6: Geraldine the Guinea Pig

Chapter 7: Gina the Seagull

Chapter 8: Grandma’s Little Girl

Chapter 9: Gus—The Dog Who Needed a Home

Chapter 10: Hop and Babby—Friends for Life

Chapter 11: Hubey the Fantastic Bear

Chapter 12: Macho the Ant and Sonnie the

Bunny



Chapter 13: Max the Rabbit

Chapter 14: Omer the Toad

Chapter 15: Playtime with Bonnie the Bear

Chapter 16: Polly Ann Penguin

Chapter 17: Rose—A Flower and Her Thorns

Chapter 18: Sammy’s Search

Chapter 19: Seymour the Parrot

Chapter 20: Spike—The Turtle Who was

Rescued and Loved

Chapter 21: Te Amo the Tiger

Chapter 22: The Bright Red Lollipop

Chapter 23: The Forgotten Bouncy Ball

Chapter 24: The Little Red Bow Tie

Chapter 25: The Old Oak Tree



1

A Mouse Named Flores

Flores was a mouse. She lived in the wall

of an old run-down apartment building. She had

a hole that led into one of the apartments where

someone lived who had even less than she did.

There were many days that Flores went

hungry and even more days when she went to

bed cold—but she dreamed every night of having



more than enough to eat in her stomach every

day and of going to bed warm.

One day, Flores noticed that all of the

furniture was gone in the apartment where her

hole led to, and no person was living there

anymore. Flores was worried. Where would she

get her food?

The next day, things got worse. Flores felt

the whole building shake! She scurried and

scurried to get out of the building. She made it

out just in time to watch from the alley as the

building was destroyed and knocked to the

ground by construction workers.



Oh, what would Flores do? She had not

had much, but that space in the wall was all she

had. Where was she to go? What was she to do?

For days, Flores scurried from hiding

place to hiding place on the street. It was scary,

and she did not want anyone or anything to

notice her.

After about a week had passed, something

wonderful finally happened to Flores. She found

a hole in a building and she went in to look for

shelter. What Flores found was beyond what she

could have imagined! She was in a bakery!

It was toasty warm in the bakery, and

there was always plenty of old bread thrown



away for Flores to eat. She would never need to

go to bed hungry or cold again!

Flores couldn’t believe it! Her dreams

had come true. Flores had always known that

God existed and that He had made her, but now

she believed that He cared about what happened

to her, as well. She knew that such wonderful

gifts could only come from a wonderful and

caring God.

Flores also realized that God had been

taking care of her all along—even when she

didn’t know it or when she couldn’t see Him at

work. She realized that her dreams had been a

gift from Him to keep her from giving up hope.



Flores had a good home now, and every

day she thanked God for never forgetting about

her and for providing for all of her needs.



2

A Pigeon Named Pete

Main Street was a busy place in the city of

McAllister. Cars drove by all day on the street,

and many people walked the streets of this lively

town all day long. There were small trees

planted in front of the storefronts and quaint

light posts to give the city light in the evenings.

The streets were cobblestone and the sidewalks

were laid with bricks.



In the branches of one of those trees on

Main Street, a pigeon had made her nest. Her

babies waited every day for their mom to come

home and feed them dinner.

One day, when the mother pigeon came

home to feed her babies, one of her little ones

was more eager than usual to get his dinner. He

leaned so far forward to get to his mom that he

fell out of the nest and down, down, down to the

busy sidewalk.





The little baby pigeon cried and cried for

his mother to come save him, but there was

nothing she could do to help him. She held her

breath, waiting to see what would happen to her

little one.

In the meantime, the baby pigeon

continued to cry. Most of the people on the

street just ignored the little pigeon and walked

on by—but one young man stopped and took

notice of the helpless baby bird. He was a young

college student named Matt.

“Well, hey there, little fella. What

happened to you? Where did you come from?”

Matt asked as he knelt next to the little bird and



looked around. Soon, when he looked up, he

realized where the little pigeon had fallen from.

“Well that was a long way to fall for such a

little guy. I’m going to have to take you home

with me and take care of you.” And that is

exactly what he did.

Matt had a little apartment above a store

on Main Street. He took the baby pigeon home

with him and warmed up some corn meal cereal.

He used a medicine dropper to feed the little

bird. He got a cardboard box and put a soft towel

in it for the baby bird to sleep in for the time

being.

“You know—you need a name,” Matt told

the little pigeon when it was all settled in and



warm. “I think I will call you Pete—Pete the

pigeon. What do you think, Pete?” The little bird

just blinked at him and fell asleep.

Matt smiled and started making plans to

take care of Pete. He talked to the downstairs

shopkeeper who was an elderly gentleman in

need of a good animal companion for his shop.

He was a dear old man—and when he heard

about the poor baby pigeon, he agreed to watch

him in his shop during the day while Matt was at

class. Matt would then take Pete upstairs to take

care of him in the evenings when he was home

studying.

“Well, everything’s all set, Pete,” Matt told

the little pigeon while he fed him a second meal



of warm cereal. “Tomorrow I’ll get you

something better for baby birds like you to eat.

You have a new home now and you will be well

taken care of. Don’t worry about anything.

“You know, God was really watching out

for you today. The Bible says that God sees

everything and He cares about us. He knows

when every sparrow falls. When you fell, He saw

you, and He sent me.” Matt said as Pete finished

his dinner of warm corn meal cereal, and Matt

set him back in his cozy box. “Everything will be

alright now. Good night, little one.”

And with that, Pete again looked up at his

caretaker, blinked his eyes, and fell fast asleep in

complete trust. He felt safe and secure here.



Everything was going to be just fine in this new

place called Home.

Luke 10:30-37*

Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan.

Matthew 6:25-26*

Jesus tells us that God feeds the birds and will

care for us—so we are not to worry.

Matthew 10:29-31*

Jesus tells us that God controls when every

sparrow falls—just as He controls everything in

our lives.

*(Summarized/ My Paraphrase)



3

An Angelfish Named Swan

Swan was a beautiful French angelfish.

She was the prettiest fish on her reef, and she

knew it. Swan was so proud of the way she

looked, and she was very aware of everyone who

looked at her. She was a vain fish—very caught

up with her appearance.



Swan had one true friend on the reef

named Trudy. Trudy was a wise parrot fish. She

had seen many fish come and go, and she was

always warning Swan to be more concerned with

who she was on the inside instead of caring so

much about how she looked on the outside.

One morning, Trudy and Swan were

having just such a talk.

“Aren’t I just the most beautiful fish you

have ever seen, Trudy?” Swan asked—her mind

so full of thoughts of herself and her own

appearance.

“Swan, honey, the last thing you need is

another fish telling you that you are pretty. Start

looking at who you are on the inside. God made



all of us for a purpose—to bring Him praise and

to show love to others. Why don’t you start

considering how you could help another fish in

need?” Trudy said.

“Why, that’s ridiculous, Trudy!” Angel

laughed. “My purpose is to be beautiful and to

let everyone know it.” Angel said confidently as

she swam off with a swish of her fins.

But that day something happened that

would forever change Swan and would make her

so thankful for a friend like Trudy who cared

about what God cares about.

That day, Swan swam a little far from the

reef, lost in thoughts of her own beauty. Because

she wasn’t paying attention, she didn’t notice the



barracuda that darted her way until it was too

late.

The barracuda only got a bite out of her

beautiful fin before she realized what was

happening and quickly swam back to the safety

of the reef.

Swan’s life was spared, but her outer

beauty had been stolen. She went to Trudy right

away for help.

“What am I going to do, Trudy? What is

there that I have left to live for? My beauty is

gone. I am a nobody now. I have no purpose,”

Swan moaned to her friend.



“Swan, Swan—my dear, God has spared

your life. You have been given another chance to

live life for the things that truly matter,” Trudy

wisely responded.

“What do you mean?” Swan asked with a

puzzled look and a sniffle.

“What have I always said to you, my vain

friend?” Trudy asked with a gentle smile.

“Well I don’t really know,” Swan said. “I

was never really interested in listening before.”

Trudy laughed. “That was honest,” she

chuckled. “What I have said is that true beauty

lies within you. It is the beauty of a gentle and

quiet spirit that God finds pleasing in females.”



“Gentle and quiet?” Swan asked. “I’m not

really either of those.”

“It’s never too late to begin again. Live

your life to bring praise to God. He cares about

His creation, and everything in it has a purpose.

Surrender your ways to Him, and let Him help

you become beautiful on the inside,” Trudy said

in love for her mangled friend.

“Thank you, Trudy. You are a real friend.

I want my life to bring praise to God from now

on. I will do what you say with God’s help. My

life isn’t over, after all. It is just beginning,” Swan

said with very real hope in her heart.



That day, a new Swan—a Swan that loved

God and wanted to please Him with her life

instead of living to please herself—was born.

From that day on, Swan became known as

a fish with a beautiful heart, and every fish on

the reef was blessed by her thoughtful ways and

her gentle spirit. She always had time to listen to

the needs of every creature—be they large or

small—that lived at her home on the reef.

Swan had changed. She was no longer

vain or constantly consumed with thoughts of

herself and her own beauty. Neither was she

beautiful on the outside any longer.

No—Swan had traded a beautiful outside

for a beautiful heart that was of much higher



value. She was different now, and her life was

new. Swan had been made beautiful from the

inside out.

1 Samuel 16:7*

God looks at things differently than people do.

People see what is on the outside, but God is

interested in what is in a person’s heart.

1 Peter 3:3-4*

A woman’s beauty should not only come from

how she looks. God wants her beauty to come

from a beautiful heart and a gentle and quiet

spirit. These are the things that are valuable in

God’s eyes.

*(My Paraphrase)



4

Bobby’s Marble

Bobby had a favorite marble. It was clear

glass with a swirl of many colors in the middle of

it. It was his prize possession, for it had been a

gift to him from his Grandpa.

Everywhere Bobby went, he took his

special marble with him in his pocket. All of his



friends knew about Bobby’s marble, because he

always showed it proudly to everyone he met.

One day, something terrible happened—

Bobby lost his marble. When he reached in his

pocket to get it out to show to someone he had

just met, all he found was an empty pocket with a

hole in it just the right size for the marble to slip

through.

Bobby looked everywhere he could think

of to find his marble, but he had been many

places that day with his mom, and the marble

could have been anywhere.

Bobby was devastated. When he got

home, he went into his room and cried and cried

and cried. That marble had meant so much to



him because Grandpa had given it to him.

Grandpa wasn’t alive anymore, and now Bobby

had nothing to remember him by. Bobby was so

sad that he just didn’t know what to do. He

missed his Grandpa very much, and he wished he

could talk to him right at that moment.

Just then, Bobby remembered something

that his Grandpa had always told him. He had

said, “Remember Bobby—God is always

listening. Talk to Him about everything. He will

always be there, and He will help you.”

Bobby sniffed and wiped his eyes before

closing his eyes in prayer. “God, I need Your

help. I lost my marble today, and I can’t find it.

The worst part is, I feel like I’ve lost my Grandpa



all over again. I am really sad. Can you please

help me feel better? I know I’ll probably never

see my marble again, but can you give me some

other way to remember Grandpa? I just don’t

want to forget him. Thank You, God. In Jesus’

Name, Amen.”

When Bobby opened his eyes, he thought

of something. He said out loud, ”Huh! Grandpa

was the one who told me about praying to God.

Every time I pray, I can remember Grandpa and

how much he loved me and God. I can pray all

the time and remember him at the same time!

“Thank You, God! Thank You for

answering my prayer! Thank You for Grandpa

who lives with You now, and thank You for my



lost marble. Please let someone find it who will

see what a treasure it is. Thank You, God, for

prayer. And thank You for making my heart feel

better. Grandpa was right. You are always there,

and You help me when I ask You to!

“Thank You, God!

“In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

So Bobby began a life of praying at all

times. He grew closer to God each day, and

Bobby never forgot his Grandpa.

Bobby may have lost a treasured marble

that day, but the life of prayer that he gained as a

result of his loss became the biggest treasure to

him of all.



5

Daisy the Cat

Daisy was a very prissy cat. She was the

princess in her house and everyone knew it. She

didn’t do anything that she did not want to do,

and no one came near her if she wanted to be

alone.



Everything was right in Daisy’s world

until one day something changed. Daisy’s family

brought home a puppy!

What in the world were they thinking?

Daisy thought to herself with a huff. This will

change everything. I will just have to ignore this

pup, and they will have to take him back. I know

my family loves me much more than that

slobbering, ill-mannered young thing. We shall

see who wins this battle. And that began the big

change in Daisy’s world.

The new puppy was a boy, and Daisy’s

family named him Rex. Rex was full of energy.

Daisy completely ignored Rex, but Rex didn’t

seem to notice. He always enthusiastically



sought Daisy out, because he wanted to play. He

didn’t ever catch on that Daisy didn’t want to

play with him. He sniffed her and licked her, and

when she ran away or jumped to a high platform

to escape the over-eager puppy, Rex thought it

was a game and followed her.

One time, Daisy even scratched Rex’s nose

with her claws. He yelped, but he didn’t give up.

Rex wanted to be Daisy’s friend.

What is wrong with my family? Don’t they

see how much I dislike this mangy fur ball? Daisy

pouted to herself.

Maribel, the little girl in Daisy’s family,

noticed what was going on between Daisy and

Rex. One day, she decided to sit down in her



room with Daisy on her lap and give her some

advice.

While Daisy was relaxing as Maribel pet

her back, Maribel started speaking to her dear

cat.

“Daisy, I’ve been watching you. I know

it’s tough to share your home with a playful

puppy like Rex. You’ve always been our

princess. But don’t you see? We still love you.

We just love Rex now, too. Can’t you try to get

along with him? He just wants to be your friend.

You know that I love you, Daisy, and I just want

what’s best for you,” Maribel told her cat who

she loved very much.



Daisy listened to Maribel. She loved

Maribel very much, too. Maribel was the one to

always give Daisy new cat toys and pet her when

she wanted some attention. The little girl loved

to spend time with Daisy in her room and share

her heart with her. Those were some of the few

times that Daisy showed her softer side. Maribel

always treated Daisy right and respected her

wishes—and Daisy loved her for it.

Daisy thought about what Maribel had

said. Maybe she’s right. Daisy thought. Maybe I

need to start being friends with the puppy. If

that’s what Maribel wants, I’ll do it. Daisy

decided.



Daisy began to purr and lean closer to

Maribel.

“Oh, I love you too, Daisy,” Maribel said.

“You know, this reminds me of a lesson I

learned in Sunday school,” Maribel told Daisy.

“God wants us to love our enemies and pray for

those who are mean to us. Now I know Rex isn’t

exactly your enemy, but you sure have been

treating him like one. It’s time for you to start

loving him. He’s part of the family now, too. I

think we should all love each other like God

wants us to.” Maribel finished with a smile and a

heart full of God’s love.

“Meow,” Daisy said. Maribel was right.

She had been wrong. She needed to start



showing love to Rex. It would be a challenge for

her, but she would do it. It was the right thing to

do.

“Daisy, I’ll be praying that God will help

you do the right thing and that He will put love in

your heart for Rex. I love you,” Maribel said

again.

“Meow,” Daisy responded.

From that day on, Daisy became Rex’s

friend. She didn’t really play with him, but she

let him come near her. The two of them even

curled up peacefully and napped together

sometimes on a big red fluffy bed just for them.



God had answered Maribel’s prayers.

There was once again peace in Daisy’s world—

and now there was something else too—a life

filled with God’s love and kindness.



6

Geraldine the Guinea Pig

Geraldine was a plump and peaceful

guinea pig. She belonged to a little girl named

Mandy.

Mandy loved Geraldine. She loved getting

her plump guinea pig out and watching her

explore her room. She loved feeding her fresh

veggies. She loved watching her play with her



toys. Mandy loved the cute, happy guinea pig

noises that Geraldine made to let Mandy know

that she was perfectly content.

But most of all, Mandy loved that she

could hold Geraldine for an hour at a time and

just pet her while she talked to God about her

day. No matter how rough Mandy’s day was at

school, holding Geraldine and petting her soft

coat of hair while she talked to God always

calmed Mandy’s heart and filled her with peace.

When Mandy got older, Geraldine got

older, too. Eventually, Geraldine passed away.

Mandy missed praying with Geraldine—but

what Mandy found is that now when she prayed

to God, she still had that same peace that she had



experienced while holding Geraldine and

praying. Yes, Geraldine had been special, but it

was Mandy’s time in prayer with God that had

brought her peace.

When Mandy grew up, she had a daughter

of her own, and when her daughter was old

enough to have a pet, Mandy got her a guinea pig.

They named him Goober. Mandy’s daughter,

Alyssa, loved Goober as much as Mandy had

loved Geraldine.

Mandy showed Alyssa how to take care of

and enjoy Goober. She also taught her daughter

how to pray while holding and petting her

guinea pig.



But most of all, Mandy taught Alyssa that

the Joy and peace that Alyssa felt while playing

with and being with Goober was really a gift

from God.

“Someday,” Mandy told her daughter,

“Goober will be gone. But God will always be

right here. Always let God be your focus. He is

our everything, and He is always enough for us.

Other things will never satisfy our need for our

hearts to be full. Only God can fill the space

inside our hearts—and only God can give us real

peace and joy no matter what is going on.”

Alyssa grew up to love guinea pigs just

like her mom had. But more than that, she grew

up to love God and know Him as her Source of



life, hope, love, peace, and joy. And she passed

her love for guinea pigs and for God on to her

daughter, Gwen.

A legacy of sincere love for God and living

a life of constant communication with God in

prayer was passed from generation to

generation in this family. And it all began with

one little girl’s relationship with her plump,

peaceful guinea pig named Geraldine and her

time in prayer with her great and all-knowing

God.



7

Gina the Seagull

Gina was a young seagull, and she was

lost. Two nights before, there had been a terrible

storm. She hadn’t been able to see anything.

When the storm had passed, she was no longer

at the peaceful seashore of her birth—she was in

a big city. Yes, Gina was lost.



Trying not to panic, Gina did her best to

think of a plan. “Okay—I’ll just talk to some of

the animals who live here. Maybe they can tell

me how to get home.” Gina thought out loud to

herself as she flew to find someone to ask for

help.

The first one Gina met was a big black

crow. He was perched on top of a building, and

Gina cautiously approached him.

“Excuse me…Mr. Crow—I was wondering

if you could help me find my way home. You

see…” Gina began. But Mr. Crow did not allow

her to finish.

“Got no time for that,” Mr. Crow said

rudely. “I’ve got to find my breakfast. You’re on



your own now.” And with that, Mr. Crow flew

away with a loud, “Caw! Caw!”

Gina was sad, but she wasn’t ready to give

up yet. She noticed a large, plump cat sunning

herself on an apartment patio, and she decided

to ask her for help.

“Excuse me—Madame Cat? I was

wondering if you could help me? You see…”

Gina began. But Madame Cat interrupted her.

“You there—you bird! You are blocking

my sun light. Kindly move before I am forced to

come up there and chase you away myself,”

Madame Cat said with a warning flip of her tail.



Well, Gina flew off in a hurry! She came to

land on a dumpster at the side of the building,

and she started to cry.

“How will I ever get home?” Gina wailed.

While Gina was crying, she didn’t notice

the group of stray cats and dogs nearby hunting

for scraps to eat for breakfast.

One of the older cats noticed Gina crying

and came over to see if she was alright.

“There, there—is it really that bad?” The

gentle cat asked Gina with a genuine smile. “My

name is Cotton. Can I help you with something?”

“You’re willing to help me?” Gina asked

between tears and sniffles.





“If I can,” Cotton said with another smile.

“I’m lost,” Gina said with a sniffle. “I’m

from the seashore, and I don’t know how to get

home. Is there any way you can help me?”

“Well—now, I don’t know the way to the

seashore,” Cotton said. “I’ve lived here all my

life. But maybe if you stay with us until the fall,

we can get you connected with some migrating

birds who can take you back home. How does

that sound?” Cotton asked.

“What will I do while I’m waiting for fall

to come? It’s the beginning of summer,” Gina

said in a voice full of concern.



“Why don’t you stay with us? We can

teach you how to find food here and how to

survive. You will have friends and something to

eat most days. Maybe you can even help us by

flying over the city and telling us where some

good scraps of food are.” Cotton said with

another kind smile.

“The bottom line is, we are a community,

and we take care of each other here. We don’t

have much, but what we have, we share. And

when the fall comes, you will be able to go back

home. How does that sound?” Cotton asked.

“Would you like for me to introduce you

to everyone?” Cotton offered.



Gina thought for a moment. Cotton was

nice, and she was offering her friendship while

Gina waited to go home. It would probably be a

long wait, but it would be so much better if she

was not alone. So Gina agreed to stay with Cotton

and her group of friends.

The months passed, and Gina grew to love

Cotton and the other cats and dogs. She helped

them all find food and she became one of their

group. God took care of their needs each day,

and they always had each other.

Before Gina knew it, it was the fall, and

the time for bird migrations was about to begin.

Cotton had become Gina’s best friend, and one



night, Cotton brought up the topic of Gina’s

upcoming flight home.

“Gina, the birds will be here soon. I

expect them any time.” Cotton said.

“I know,” Gina said. “But it will be so hard

to leave you all. I have gotten used to the city

and you are all my friends now.”

“Gina, listen to me,” Cotton said. “You

have a home. None of us has that. If we could,

we would all go to homes of our own, too. We

just have no place to go. You belong at your

home on the sea shore.

“For us—we belong here, because we

have no place else to go. You need to go where



you belong, and we will stay here. Go back to

your family. I know they must miss you. You are

such a delightful bird, and they will be so thrilled

to have you back home! I hope you have a safe

trip—and know that you will be missed and

thought of every day. Don’t forget us!” Cotton

said as she wished Gina a good night and then

turned and went to find a safe place to curl up

and sleep for the night.

The morning came, and with it, came the

sound of migrating geese. Cotton and the others

sent Gina off to fly with the geese so she could

finally find her way home.

After flying for a couple of days and

making a few stops along the way, Gina smelled



something familiar! It was the salty sea air! Gina

was home!

She thanked the geese and flew until she

reached the rocks that she and her family called

home.

Gina’s mom and dad and brothers and

sisters all welcomed her with joy and a big party!

Gina had fish again for the first time in

months! It was so good to be back where she

belonged. She shared all of her wandering

experiences with her family, and how God had

taken care of her through her new friends.

Everyone in her family told her how glad they

were to have her back home where she could be

the seagull that she was made by God to be.



Gina was so thankful to God for always

taking care of her and for making a way for her

to come home. Now that she was back where

she belonged, she hoped that she would never

leave again.

Gina was finally home.



8

Grandma’s Little Girl

Clara was a very special little girl. Her

Grandma called her “Grandma’s little girl,”

because she loved her Grandma so much and she

wanted to be just like her.

Clara loved to dress in her Grandma’s old

clothes and play with her Grandma’s old things.



She loved to watch her Grandmas’ favorite old

black and white movies.

But what made Grandma so special to

Clara was that Grandma always listened to her,

and Clara knew without a doubt that her

Grandma loved and cared about her. This caused

Clara to trust her Grandma more than anyone,

and it made her want to work hard to be just like

her Grandma someday.

One day, when Clara was over at her

Grandma’s house, Grandma found Clara sitting

on the bed in the bedroom crying.

“Clara, Honey, what’s wrong?” Grandma

asked as she came and sat beside her

granddaughter.



“Oh, Grandma! It’s just awful! Some kids

at school were saying nasty things about me.

They were saying that I’m old-fashioned, boring,

and dull, and that they would never be my friend.

What am I going to do? I don’t know how to be

someone different than who I am, but I want to

have friends. What do I do?” Clara wailed.

“There, there, Sweetie. It’s alright. Listen

to me for a minute, okay?” Grandma said as she

put her arm around Clara and handed her a

tissue. “You are different from those other little

boys and girls—but you are different in a very

good way! You have respect for the old ways

that I have taught you, and you love the ways

that are good and right. You want to do the right



thing, because you love God. Isn’t that right?”

Grandma asked as she looked into Clara’s eyes.

“Yes, Grandma,” Clara sniffed. “Those

things are true.”

Grandma nodded and said, “Well, those

things may make you different than most other

kids, but they also make you special. You respect

those who are older than you, you like old things,

and you love God. I think that makes you a very

special individual,” Grandma said with a wink.

“My dear Clara, don’t be so concerned

with what others say and think about you. Be

concerned with God’s opinion of you instead.

God makes everyone different. You just need to

be the person He made you to be. He loves you



just as you are. He loves all of us,” Grandma

reminded Clara.

“One more thing that you need to do is to

forgive the boys and girls that said these things

to you. They were wrong, but you must choose

not to hold it against them. Instead, choose to

love and pray for them—just like Jesus has

forgiven you of all of the wrong things that you

have done,” Grandma smiled, and Clara smiled

back..

“Something else that we should both start

praying for is that God will send you a good

friend around your age. I love you, my dear, and

I love who you are. You are the delight of my old



age, and I love to be with you,” Grandma said as

she gave Clara a long squeeze.

“I love you too, Grandma. Thank you for

being so wise. I know just what to do now,” Clara

said with a smile, her eyes full of hope.

“Oh, my dear,” Grandma said, “Any

wisdom I have is from our God and Father in

Heaven. Let’s pray to Him now to thank Him for

His love and ask for His help, okay?” Grandma

said with a smile that reached all the way to her

twinkling blue eyes.

“Yes, Grandma. Let’s pray,” Clara agreed.

“Dear Heavenly Father,” Grandma began,

“Thank You that You are always in control, You



love us, and we can trust You. Father, I pray for

Clara. Please be her strength and give her joy.

Remind her of how much You love her—and

show her that Your love is all she will ever need.

Help her to forgive her classmates, and please

give her a special friend around her age. We love

You, Lord. Help us to understand Your love for

us more and more—and may we come closer to

You every day. Thank You, Father. In Jesus’

Name, Amen,” Grandma said as she ended her

prayer.

“Dear Lord,” Clara prayed, “The kids at

school made me feel bad. But now I know it’s

okay. You love me just as I am, and You made me

like this for a reason. God, I choose to forgive

them, because You have forgiven me of



everything I do wrong. I love You, God. Please

send me a friend that is close to my age. Thank

You for everything. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

“How do you feel now, Clara?” Grandma

asked.

“Well, I’m still a little sad, but I know now

that God is making everything okay. Thank you,

Grandma. I love you,” Clara said as she leaned

over to give her Grandma a big hug.

“I love you too, Clara. I love you very

much,” Grandma said softly as she hugged Clara

in return and closed her eyes to silently thank

her Lord for such a special granddaughter—a

granddaughter who was not only Grandma’s

little girl, but God’s as well.



9

Gus

The Dog Who Needed a Home

Gus was so scared. He cowered in a

corner of a cold steel cage in an animal control

center. What would happen to him? His familiar

home was gone. What had he done to deserve

this? These new people were all so strange, and



no one had time to pet him behind the ears or to

rub his belly. All he wanted was some love.

A few days passed, and Gus wondered if

he would ever feel anything soft again. What had

he done wrong? There were so many strange

noises and smells. All Gus wanted was to go

home. When would his master come and get

him?

The next morning, a woman named Mary

came to get Gus. When Gus first saw her, he was

scared. Where does she want to take me? Gus

wondered. I don’t know if I want to go. What if

my master comes for me and I’m not here?

Mary spoke kindly to Gus. “Here, Boy. I’m

going to take you someplace safe and warm. I’m



going to take you home with me for a little while,

and then we will find you a forever home.”

Gus wagged his tail. He didn’t understand

all of the words that the kind lady said, but he did

understand the word, “home.”

Let’s go! Gus thought as he wagged his

tail some more while Mary gave him a good rub

down and some treats. Oh, it’s been so long since

I had treats. Gus thought as he crunched on one

and wriggled in delight. This is so wonderful!

And I’m going home!

Mary put a leash and collar on Gus and

took him to her car.



“Come on, Boy,” Mary encouraged him,

but Gus was reluctant to get into the strange

vehicle. The last time that happened, he ended

up at this place.

Mary coaxed Gus into the car with a treat

and secured him in the back seat. Gus was

scared again. Where were they going? There

were more new smells that he didn’t understand.

Once Mary started the car and the car

began to move, Gus calmed down and settled

into the floor board behind the driver’s seat.

When the car stopped moving, Gus came

fully alert and got up on the back seat. Where

was he? Nothing looked familiar. I thought I was



going home! Where am I? What is this place?

Gus thought frantically.

Mary got Gus out and said, “Come on,

Boy!” Gus came out, but he didn’t know what to

do. He started dragging on the leash to explore

his surroundings. “Come on, Boy!” Mary

encouraged him and led him to her door and into

her home.

There are no cold steel cages! Gus thought

as he felt great relief. Mary let him lead her

around and explore his new environment.

Things are soft here. Gus thought. There is a soft

carpet, and I smell people food! Gus thought

happily. Maybe this place won’t be so bad after

all.



Mary let Gus go out into the back yard.

Gus enjoyed the freedom and the grass and trees.

When he came back in, Mary fed him and gave

him fresh water. But Gus didn’t feel too much

like eating. In fact, when he went out back, he

couldn’t even relieve himself. He was too

nervous. What if she takes me back there? Gus’s

thought was scary to him. Plus, everything was

so new. He was a nervous wreck.

“Come here, Boy,” Mary called when Gus

was again inside. Gus knew the command,

“Come,” so he came to Mary. She was nice.

“Alright, Boy—it’s time to give you a good

name—just the right name. You’re a good boy.



You look like a ‘Gus’ to me. Do you like that,

Gus?” Gus wagged his tail.

How did you know my name? Gus

wondered as he happily wagged his tail some

more.

“Good boy, Gus!” Mary praised Gus as he

continued to wag his tail. Mary was giving him

attention and care. Gus liked Mary.

Many days passed, and Gus settled into a

routine. Day after day, the routine was

refreshingly the same, and Gus began to relax.

One day, Gus woke up from his place

under the kitchen table where he slept at night to

find that his crate was gone. Where’s my crate?



Gus searched all over the house but could not

find it. When Mary let him out into the back

yard, he was nervous. When he came back in, he

could not eat. He could sense that something

was different.

After breakfast time, Mary called to Gus,

“Come, Gus! Sit.” And she put the leash on him.

What followed was another car ride where Gus

was introduced to a foster family where he

would live for the next two weeks.

Where am I? What’s going on? Gone was

the Gus who was fully at ease. He had his tail

tucked between his legs and his ears were back.

He was scared again. Who are these people?

What’s going to happen to me now? Will I ever be



home? Gus thought, once again frantic as he

looked at his foster family in fear.

Gus was with this first foster family for

two weeks—just long enough to settle in and feel

comfortable again and then BOOM! It happened

again! Mary came and picked him up and took

him to a new home.

After another two weeks, Mary came and

brought Gus back home with her. “Okay, Boy!”

Mary said to Gus that night. “It’s almost time

now for us to find you a real home. You see, we

were getting you ready so you can meet your

new family—someone who will take care of you

and love you as their own. Tomorrow is



Saturday, and we’re going to try to get you

adopted!”

Gus was frightened. He had been

uprooted so many times, and he just didn’t know

what was going on. Every time he went

someplace new, he thought he might be home,

but he never was. Mary was the closest thing to

home that Gus knew anymore. He didn’t know if

he wanted to leave her. Needless to say, Gus

didn’t eat much that night.

The next morning, Mary let Gus out and

fed him earlier than usual. Next thing he knew,

these strange people came into Mary’s home, put

Gus on a leash, and led him to a big white van

with dog crates and other dogs in it.



Oh no! I am not going in there! Gus

thought as he pulled hard against the leash to go

back into the house. Gus’s handler finally got

him to go into the crate in the van.

Gus didn’t know where they were going.

The van drove up to a pet store where the

adoption event was being held and stopped right

in front. When a volunteer came to get Gus, they

opened his crate, put on his leash, and led him to

another crate outside in front of the store. Gus’s

crate was positioned to the far right, away from

the others.

Gus sat against the back of the crate.

There were so many strange noises and people—

Gus did not know what to think.



There were lots of other dogs—young and

old, big and small—and lots of people coming to

see them. When people came over to his crate,

Gus didn’t know what to do! This was just too

much!

That same day, a couple came to the

adoption event at the pet store to ask some

questions about pet adoption. They weren’t

looking to adopt a dog just yet, but they were

about to find out what meeting a special dog can

do to you. Their names were John and Missy.

John said to his wife, “Honey, look! Isn’t

that a black lab?”

“Oh, yeah! I think it is!” Missy said with a

smile and they went over to see Gus.



Missy got down on Gus’s level and spoke

softly and soothingly to him, “Here, boy. Come

here, boy.” Gus came right over to her!

Then John talked to Gus and showed him

his hand too, and Gus came to him. John and

Missy could tell that Gus was a gentle, sweet, and

very special dog.

After the adoption event, on Saturday

night and Sunday throughout the day, John and

Missy both kept thinking about Gus. There was

just something special about him, and they could

not get him out of their minds.

Could it be possible? Could this be their

dog? Should they adopt him? They talked



together and prayed together before they made a

decision.

On Monday afternoon, Missy called Mary,

who was in charge of adoptions, to see if Gus had

been adopted on Sunday. When she and her

husband found out that he had not yet been

adopted, they set up a meeting time to see Gus.

They chose to foster him for two weeks to decide

if he was the dog that God wanted to be a part of

their family.

So on Wednesday evening, after much

preparation for Gus’s arrival, John and Missy

went to go pick him up. When John and Missy

arrived to pick Gus up, he did not want to get

into another strange car. But once they started



moving, he settled down in the floor board

behind the driver’s seat. Missy rode in the back

with Gus and spoke soothingly to him the whole

way home to get Gus comfortable with the sound

of her voice.

When they got to John and Missy’s

apartment, they parked and headed toward the

stairs. Gus was so scared when he got to the

stairs! He cowered and pulled away. Missy

coaxed him along, kept working with him, and

finally got him to go up the stairs.

Once Gus got inside, Missy let him take

the lead, but left him on a loose leash so he could

explore. Then after he had seen everything, she

took him off of the leash.



Gus didn’t eat or drink anything that

night, and he was too nervous to relieve himself

when they took him out, but he did get

comfortable with John and Missy—and he

seemed at ease in their apartment too. He

calmed down and ate up all of the attention and

love they were showering him with.

Days passed, and they became two weeks.

Gus loved John and Missy! Did they love him?

Had he finally found a home to call his own?

But John and Missy decided not to keep

Gus.

Gus was heartbroken. Would he ever

have a home again?



Gus went back to live with Mary. It took

him several weeks to get back to normal, but he

was still sad.

The day came when Mary began taking

Gus to the pet adoption events again on the

weekends. Every weekend, Gus went, but he

didn’t know if he would ever find a home—if

anyone would ever love him enough to keep him.

Many months passed, and Gus was placed

in other foster homes. He was still taken to the

adoption events every Saturday—but because

Gus was shy and fearful, no one ever wanted

him.

Gus was sad. He wanted a family, but he

was too afraid to hope anymore. He was giving



up his dream of ever being in a place he could

call home. He would just go on, being taken from

place to place—never having a home of his own.

Just as Gus was giving up hope, another

Saturday came along with another adoption

event. Gus hunched near the back of his crate,

afraid to look anyone in the eye. It was near the

end of the event when Gus heard, “Gus! Oh, there

he is, John! He’s still here!” It was John and

Missy!

Gus perked up right away. His tail was

wagging as he came toward the front of his crate

where John and Missy were. Had they come back

for him? Would they take him back to their

home? Oh, it was too much for Gus to hope for.



Gus had loved it with them so much. Could it be

possible that they would really want him?

John crouched down in front of Gus and

spoke softly and reassuringly to him, “Gus, we’ve

come to take you home. You are our dog, and we

are your family. We love you. You have a home

now, and that is not going to change. You are

wanted, and you are loved—and we will never

give you up. Are you ready to come home with

us, Boy?”

Gus was going home! He couldn’t believe

it! Someone wanted him! When John and Missy

took Gus home with them that day, for the first

time since he had been taken to the animal

control center, Gus held his head up high. He



was wanted. He was loved. Gus knew that he

would spend his days being loved by John and

Missy and loving them in return.

Gus was finally going home!



10

Hop and Babby

~Friends for Life~

“Wake up, Hop! It’s a beautiful spring day

outside! You don’t want to miss a second of it!”

Babby the bunny said to her best friend—Hop,

the rabbit.



“Oh, Babby, I just don’t feel like getting

up,” Hop groaned. “Why don’t you go and enjoy

it for the both of us?”

Babby twitched her little nose and

thought for a second. She was not leaving this

burrow without her best friend—but how could

she encourage him to get up? Hop just wanted to

stay here in the dark. Then she thought of an

idea.

“Hop—guess what? I heard from Mother

Rabbit that there is a big fresh patch of sweet

clover up by the overlook of the valley. Wouldn’t

you like to go taste some of that sweet clover?

And she told me that there are plenty of bushes

nearby for cover up there. Let’s go!” Babby said



excitedly as she hopped up and down and

pushed on Hop’s side with her two soft white

paws.

Babby knew that Hop could not resist

fresh clover—it was his favorite because it was

the sweetest clover there was. She also knew

that seeing the overlook of the valley would

definitely lift Hop’s spirits.

“Okay, okay—I’ll go,” Hop said as he got

up reluctantly and slowly blinked his eyes.

“Come on, Hop! Follow me!” Babby said

with enthusiasm. “I know the way!”

With that, the two friends were off. Along

the way, they sniffed beautiful wildflowers—



watched as a butterfly landed on Hop’s nose—

savored the crisp, fresh spring air—and enjoyed

being in one another’s company. Babby had

been right—it was truly a beautiful spring day!

When they arrived at the patch of clover,

they checked their surroundings for danger, and

then hopped into the clearing to enjoy a filling

meal of the sweetest clover still drenched in dew.

While Hop was still nibbling clover tops,

Babby hopped over to the overlook of the valley

and called to Hop, “Hop come here! I want you to

see something!”

“Can it wait? This clover is just so tasty!”

Hop said with his mouth full as he continued to



focus on the patch of sweet clover that he was

eating.

Babby giggled with a paw to her dainty

little mouth. “Oh, Hop! The clover isn’t going

anywhere. Come here for a second, and then you

can finish your meal.”

“Oh, okay. I’m coming.” Hop said as he

took one last bite to chew on.

“What did you want to show me, Babby?”

Hop asked as he arrived at the spot where Babby

sat.

“Look!” Babby said as she pointed her

paw at the view of the valley.





Hop turned and looked in the direction

that Babby was pointing her paw. What he saw

took his breath away. Everything down there

looked so small and peaceful. Hop lived in that

valley, and he knew that a lot happened there

that could be scary, sad, and hard to deal with—

but from up here, he could see a bigger picture.

Things were not as big and scary. Somehow, he

knew that things weren’t that bad after all.

Hop was beginning to see that just like

this valley looked small to him from up here, all

of the problems that he faced were very small

compared to God. God could handle all of them.

Hop realized that the next time he faced

something hard, he could remember that no



matter how big the problem was, God was

always bigger. A sense of relief and peace

washed over Hop as he became very calm inside

and full of awe for God, his Creator.

After several moments of silence, Hop

turned to Babby and said, “Babby, you are a

wonderful friend. You didn’t let me stay hidden

in my burrow all day. You brought me to a

wonderful feast for my stomach, and you

brought me to this beautiful overlook where God

reminded me of how great He is. Thank you for

being such a great friend!”

“Hop, you are my best friend, and that

won’t ever change. We’re friends for life, right?”



Babby said with a twitch of her nose and a sweet

bunny smile.

“Right,” Hop said. “Friends for life.”

And with that, Babby put her paw on

Hop’s back as they both faced out toward the

valley, each with their hearts full of wonder at

the greatness of God, their Creator.



11

Hubey the Fantastic Bear

Hubey was a teddy bear who belonged to

a little boy named Bobby. Bobby loved Hubey

more than any of his other toys. Hubey was dark

brown, had very well-worn fur, and was missing

one eye. But Bobby noticed none of that. To

Bobby, Hubey was just right—for he saw him

through eyes of simple, child-like love and

acceptance.



Hubey, however, was not so happy being

a plain old teddy bear. He wanted to be

something more—something FANTASTIC.

Every night, Bobby’s dad came in to tuck

Bobby in to bed at night and to tell him a

bedtime story full of adventures and

superheroes.

And every night after the lights went out

and Hubey was safe in the arms of a soundly

sleeping Bobby, Hubey would have his own

dreams of being a superhero and of saving the

day. Hubey just wanted to be someone

important.

Night after night, Hubey dreamed and

dreamed of fighting villains, rescuing Bobby



from falling rocks and dangerous floods, and of

flying from place to place in the countryside in

his yellow cape and mysterious red mask,

rescuing animals in need.

Then the morning would come, and he

would go back to being just plain old Hubey—

nothing amazing—just a much-loved and worn

little teddy bear.

“Guess what, Hubey?” Bobby said

excitedly one morning to his favorite toy. “Today

we’re going to the beach, and Dad and Mom said

you could come along! You’ll have to stay in the

car, but we can talk all the way there and back! I

love you, Hubey!”



Hubey was excited! An outing with

Bobby! The whole family got in the car, and

Hubey was safely tucked in Bobby’s arms for the

trip down to the beach.

Bobby talked about church and school

and superheroes and exciting outdoor

adventures. He told Hubey everything, because

Hubey was his most trusted toy.

Hubey snuggled in and just listened. His

favorite part of every day was just being with

Bobby.

Bobby squeezed Hubey tight and said, “I

love you, Hubey.”



Hubey loved being loved by Bobby, but he

still wanted more.

“I want to be FANTASTIC,” Hubey

continued to think to himself. “I want to be

somebody important.”

That day at the beach, Bobby saw crabs

and sea gulls, pelicans and sea shells. But

something bad happened too. Bobby nearly

drowned.

As Bobby was swimming, he got caught in

an undertow current and was pulled out away

from the shore. His mom and dad yelled for help,

and a lifeguard came and saved him, with his dad

close behind.



Bobby was exhausted from fighting the

current, and he just wanted to go home.

“I want Hubey.” Bobby said weakly.

“We’re going to the car now, Buddy,” Dad

said. “You’ll see him in just a minute.”

Hubey had no idea what had happened.

He had been in the car, gazing out of the window

and dreaming of adventure.

All of a sudden, Bobby and his family

arrived in a flurry of activity—and Dad was

carrying Bobby!

On the way home, Bobby slept with

Hubey in his arms, leaving Hubey to wonder

what had happened.



The next day, Bobby was feeling better—

though he was still a little shaken. He spent

some quiet time in his room just talking with

Hubey.

“Hubey, yesterday I nearly drowned. A

lifeguard saved my life, ‘cause God wanted me to

keep living. I’m glad, too, because that means I

can keep being with you, Hubey. We can keep

having our adventures together. You’re my

favorite toy, and you know why?” Bobby asked

Hubey as Hubey sat lopsidedly looking up at

Bobby.

“It’s because I just know you listen to me.

I love you, Hubey! You’re FANTASTIC!”



In that moment, Hubey the bear realized

something he had been missing. He didn’t need

to stand out to be important or fantastic to the

whole wide world.

No—Hubey already had everything he

needed to be happy and content. He was loved

accepted for who he was. In Bobby’s eyes, he

had always been important and fantastic.

And why? Because Bobby saw Hubey

through eyes of love.

A lifeguard may have saved Bobby’s life,

but Hubey went through life WITH Bobby, and

Bobby just loved that Hubey was always there to

listen. Do you ever feel like Hubey? Like you just



want to be someone important—to stand out

from the crowd and be FANTASTIC?

I know I do.

But you know what? God made you

special. He designed you with a very special

purpose in mind. He loves you, and He wants the

best for you.

Do you want to be something more?

Let God help you be thankful for who you

are first. Then ask your Lord to make you

everything He made you to be.

Life is a process. I pray that God will

make you and me more like His Son, Jesus, every

day—for only God is truly FANTASTIC!



12

Macho the Ant and Sonnie the

Bunny

Macho was a hard-working ant. Every

day he went out of his ant hill in search of food—

he was always moving. He could lift up to 5,000

times his body weight! He was definitely worthy

of the name, Macho!



But Macho the ant never even thought

about how amazing it was that he could lift so

much. He just did it every day. He was not proud

or arrogant. He worked hard, and he did it

because that is who God made him to be.

Nearby Macho’s ant hill was a mother

rabbit’s burrow. She had seven babies that were

just getting old enough to explore. Mother

Rabbit taught her babies lessons every day, but

one of her bunnies liked to daydream. His name

was Sonnie, and Sonnie was usually lost in

thought when he should have been paying

attention to his lessons.

One day, Mother Rabbit had an idea as

she observed Macho the ant hard at work.



“Sonnie?...Sonnie?” Mother Rabbit called

to her young son.

“Oh—yes, Mom? Did you say something?

Sorry—I guess I was thinking of somethin’ else,”

Sonnie said.

“Look at that ant, Sonnie. Have you ever

watched him before?” Sonnie’s mother asked.

“Well, no, Mom. I guess I haven’t,” Sonnie

said.

“Watch him with me for a minute,”

Mother Rabbit said.





“Do you see how big of a load he is

carrying? And he is so small! He walks a long

way every day, and the next day, he does the

same thing. He is a much harder worker than

you, and you are much bigger than him! I think

you could learn from that strong, hardworking

little ant,” Mother Rabbit said.

“But Mom—I can’t lift more than I weigh,”

Sonnie said. “I can hardly lift anything.”

“I’m not asking you to take on the same

purpose as the ant,” Sonnie’s mother told him.

“You have your own purpose that God has made

you for.



“What I am asking you to do is to apply

yourself 100% to being who you were made to

be—and you were made to be a rabbit.

“Pay attention to your lessons. Do your

best every day with God’s help and for the

purpose of giving God praise. Apply yourself, my

dear, and you will be a wonderful rabbit!”

Mother Rabbit encouraged her son.

That night before bed, Sonnie thought

about what his mother had said. I guess Mom is

right. I can learn something from that ant. God

made me for a reason, and I need to start paying

attention so I can learn how to be who I was made

to be.



With that thought fresh in his mind,

Sonnie snuggled in for the night with his

brothers and sisters, yawned, and fell fast asleep.

Tomorrow would be a new day full of

opportunities to learn and grow. Sonnie wanted

to get his rest. When tomorrow came, he didn’t

want to miss a thing!



13

Max the Rabbit

A long time ago, in a pet store that was in

the mall, a small white bunny was waiting to be

sold. There was something very special about

this bunny. He was an escape artist! In fact, the

store workers had named the bunny Houdini

after the famous magician who could escape

from the most impossible situations.



Every day, the shop keepers made sure

that the little white bunny was safe in his cage—

but somehow, every day he managed to get

loose. He would leave the store and hop around

the mall. He went up and down escalators, and

he dashed away from people who tried to catch

him. Someone always did catch him, though, and

they returned him to the pet store where the

little bunny would plan his next escape

adventure.

One day, a nice family came into the mall

pet store looking for a bunny for their little boy,

Joey. Joey had a sister named Melissa, and she

was with them, too.



When Joey saw the little white bunny in

the glass cage on a shelf near the floor, he knew

right away that this was his bunny.

“Why does he have a rock on top of his

cage, Mom?” Melissa asked her mom.

“I don’t know, dear. That seems strange,

doesn’t it? Let’s ask one of the storekeepers,”

Mom suggested.

When the family asked one of the young

men who worked there about the rock, he told

the family all about this little bunny’s escape

habits and his adventurous spirit.



When Joey heard the stories about the

white bunny, he said, “Mom, Dad—I told you!

He’s perfect!”

“We’ll take him!” Dad said, and with that,

the little bunny had a new home.

Once they brought the white bunny home,

Joey knew he needed a name. Everyone in the

family made their suggestions, but in the end, it

was the name Dad picked that won. The little

bunny became known as Max.

Max had a mind of his own from the very

beginning. He loved to explore, but he didn’t like

to cuddle. If he didn’t want the family’s

attention, he let them know it by rushing straight



at them with his mouth open wide while he let

out a loud grunt.

Everyone quickly learned to steer clear of

Max’s teeth. When he came rushing toward one

of them, he meant business.

From the very beginning, though—and

throughout his entire life—Max was loved and

cared for. He wasn’t always nice, but the family

loved him and continued to care for him.

When Max got older, he had a whole room

to himself to be out and play in all day long. By

this time, Joey had grown up and moved out.

Mom had now become Max’s caretaker, and Dad

had become his best friend.



Mom took care of Max’s needs every day

and kept his cage clean, and Dad spent quiet time

with Max in his room every day, talking quietly

to him and petting him.

You see, as Max grew older, he enjoyed

the company of someone who wanted to be with

him and show him love. He could still be a little

feisty at times, but there were many times when

he was calm and he enjoyed the company of

others.

Max lived 13 years in all with his family,

and every day of those 13 years, he was loved

and cared for—regardless of how he acted or

what he did.



One day, when Melissa was grown up and

remembering Max with her Dad over two tall

glasses of crisp iced tea, she said to him, “You

know, Dad, we loved Max when he was mean and

when he was nice—just like God wants us to love

others when they are mean or nice. God loves us

all the time, and He wants us to be like Him and

love others the same way—because we are His

children and we were made to become more like

Him every day. Don’t you think that’s special?”

Melissa said with a smile at her Dad.

“It is special, Melissa. What’s more, it was

always a pleasure to love Max—no matter how

he acted. I think God wants us to take joy in

loving others like we took joy in loving Max—



even when those people don’t want to be loved,”

Dad said.

“Have I told you lately that you’re wise,

and I’m glad you’re my Dad?” Melissa said as she

smiled at her Dad and he gave her a smile and a

hug.

That day, Melissa and Dad remembered

Max—but they also recognized God’s love at

work in their lives. Max was a special little

rabbit, and his life with his family told a story of

God’s unconditional love. Max the rabbit would

always be remembered fondly by his family, and

God’s love would continue to be lived out in this

family’s lives as they moved on and lived every



new day with their eyes fixed on things up above

instead of things here on earth.

Colossians 3:1-4*

The Bible tells us to focus on things that are

godly and things that will last forever in heaven.

We are to focus on Jesus, because He is the

Source of our life.

*(My Paraphrase)



14

Omer the Toad

There once was a little toad named Omer

who did not much like being a toad—in fact, he

wanted to be practically anything but what he

was.

Omer spent his days sitting at the pond

and watching every creature and plant. He never

went into the water—for toads don’t swim like



frogs do—but he spent day after day dreaming of

being someone or something else.

Today was Monday. Today, Omer sat and

watched the lily pads float peacefully by as he

snacked on occasional bugs.

“Oh, I wish I could be that lily pad!” Omer

said aloud to himself as he ate another bug.

“That lily pad has no cares in the world and it is

so beautiful to look at. I’m so ugly with my

yellow spots and my big bumpy warts. No one

would look at me and call me lovely or graceful.

Oh, if I could only be that lily pad, all would be

right in my world,” Omer said as he munched on

another bug and hopped back home to the

nearby bushes.



Tuesday came and Omer could be found

once again at the pond. Today, he watched a

dragonfly hover above the water and fly in all

sorts of fascinating twists and turns.

“Oh, I wish I could be that dragonfly!”

Omer said as he sat, longing to be anyone but

himself. “That dragonfly has wings and he can

fly anywhere. If I were that dragonfly, people

would look at me and see something made with

amazing colors on my body. People would

respect me. Instead, all they see is a little lump

that can only jump, jump, jump to get around.

Yep. I know that if I was only that dragonfly, all

would be right in my world,” Omer said as he

sighed loudly and once again headed toward the

bushes he called home.



Day after day, Omer went to the pond, and

day after day, he focused on a different creature

that he wished to be instead of being himself.

On Wednesday, he noticed a turtle

sunning itself on a log—and oh, how he wanted

to be that turtle! Omer saw that any time the

turtle was scared, he could just pull himself into

his shell and be protected. Omer just knew that

if he was that turtle his life would be better!

On Thursday, he watched a caterpillar—

and oh, how he longed to trade places with

him—for he knew that one day soon, that

caterpillar would be an amazingly colorful

butterfly! If only Omer could be transformed



into such an amazing creature, he knew he would

be happy!

On Friday, his focus was on a snail. In

Omer’s eyes, even the snail had it better than

him—at least the snail had a hard shell to protect

him from the often cruel world.

Saturday came, and just like every other

day, Omer found something else he would rather

be.

On Sunday, when Omer went to the pond,

he saw the most beautiful and graceful creatures

he had ever seen there before—they were a

white mother and father swan with their young

babies. The swans had been there all week, but



this was the first time that Omer had noticed

them.

“Oh, if I could only be one of those baby

swans! They have a mother and father, and they

will grow up to be magnificent creatures that can

fly and have their own families. Oh, if I could

only be one of those swans—I just know I would

be happy, and everything would be right in my

life,” Omer said to himself as he just sat and

watched the beautiful swans.

Suddenly, Omer watched as the Mother

Swan turned and started to swim right toward

him. Omer was getting scared for his life, but he

need not have feared, for Mother Swan was

coming as a friend.



“Pardon me,” Mother Swan called to Omer

before he could hop away to a safer place. Omer

hunched down and tried to become invisible by

blending in with the grass and dirt.

“There, there now—there’s no call for

that. Don’t be afraid—I mean you no harm,”

Mother Swan tried to reassure the frightened

little toad. Omer wasn’t so certain that he was

safe, and he watched Mother Swan very closely.

“I have been listening to you this week,

my young toad friend. Every day, you have

visited this pond, and every day, you have

wished to be someone or something different

than who you are.





“My dear young friend, please listen to

me. Do you not realize that everyone you wished

to be has trouble in this world as well?

“The lily pad can be crushed.

“The dragonfly can be eaten by a fish.

“The turtle can be eaten by an alligator.

“The butterfly will not live long before its

life fades away.

“The snail can be eaten by a bird.

“And we swans—even we have our trials

and woes. It can be difficult to find the right

mate and the right place to raise our young

where there will be plenty of food and fresh



water. There is a great deal of competition with

other birds, you know.

“Don’t you see? Each creature that God

has made serves a purpose on this earth even

though each one will face difficulties.

“Enjoy the bugs you eat! It helps the rest

of us! If toads did not eat bugs, there would be

too many of them. Many of us eat bugs, but you

play an important role in making sure that the

number of them is not too high.

“And, believe it or not, I have heard of

young boys who keep toads as pets! Those boys

think that toads like you are wonderful

creatures!” Mother Swan said with a wink and a

smile.



“I do like bugs…” Omer said a bit timidly,

still a little intimidated by the presence of the

large swan.

Mother Swan smiled again and continued,

“My young friend, just think—the Creator of the

Universe created you and your kind for a

purpose. Why don’t you spend every day being

thankful for who you are and being the best toad

that you can be—instead of spending your time

wishing that you were someone or something

that you were never meant to be?

“The truth is that if you are not happy

being what you are, then you will never be happy

being anything else either.” And with that,

Mother Swan smiled one more warm smile at



Omer and swam gracefully back to Father Swan

and their young.

Omer sat where he was and thought and

thought on what Mother Swan had said. Then he

hopped back to his bushes and his home to think

on it some more.

Monday came, but Omer could not be

found sitting on the bank of the pond. Instead,

he rested during the day and waited until

evening to come out with the rest of the toads.

That night, he ate as many bugs as he could—

everywhere he could find them.

He was thankful for his yellow spots, his

bumps and warts, the way he moved, and the

way he looked when he sat still. All of these



things helped him to be better at who he was

made to be.

He was thankful that God had created him

with a purpose in mind and he was determined

not to waste one more minute of the time he had

been given to live and be a toad.



15

Playtime with Bonnie the Bear

Emily Ann’s favorite toy was a stuffed

brown bear that she had named Bonnie. Bonnie

the bear had gray button eyes and a pink stuffed

bow on her ear. Emily Ann and Bonnie did

everything together—Emily Ann didn’t go any

place without taking Bonnie.



Emily Ann—Emmie for short—went to

school and ran errands with her mom just like

every other child. But what few people knew

was that Emmie had found a way to get to a

different world through the door of her

imagination—and through the door of her

room’s special walk-in closet.

Every afternoon when Emmie and Bonnie

the bear arrived home from school, Emmie

would take her snack to her room, go into her

closet, and walk into her own special world.

Here in the world of her imagination, her dolls

came to life, and she took place in stories,

adventures, and fun. Here, she was far away

from the cares of the real world. Here, she would

watch as the lives of her dolls would play out—



and every day she looked forward to what would

happen next in their world.

It was funny—Emmie never really

thought of it, but even though it was Emmie’s

imagination that this world existed in, she never

quite knew how the characters in her world

would behave that day, how the day would come

to an end, or what would happen tomorrow.

That was all part of the fun! This world was full

of delightful surprises.

One day, Emmie came home, got Bonnie

out of her book bag, thanked her mother for her

snack, and went to her room.



Once she was inside her room, she said to

Bonnie, “I wonder what will happen today!

Yesterday, Kendra was mad at her sister for

borrowing her clothes without asking and Gayle

was going to go to a party. Oh—and Nancy was

going to have a tea party today with us! Won’t

that be fun, Bonnie? We can catch up on all the

news and watch what else happens!” Emmie

said as she gave Bonnie a quick squeeze.





Emmie opened the door to her closet and

in they went. To anyone else’s eyes, this place

was just a closet filled with toys. But to Emmie,

it was where her imagination came to life. The

closet was large, and it had an old, empty

entertainment center in it. The top piece of the

furniture had three shelves on the left and two

on the right with large spaces in between them.

The bottom piece of the furniture had two

cabinets with some more space in it.

This entertainment center—to Emmie—

became the apartment building for her dolls. She

used small, turned-over bowls for tables for her

ladies’ tea. She used dried black beans for food

to put on their imaginary plates. She used scraps

of cloth for blankets. She used some of her own



hair things for her dolls’ hair, and she had a

collection of clothes that her dolls would change

into from time to time for special occasions.

What was so special about this place were

the stories that were created there. Day after

day, Emmie and Bonnie created a storyland

together, and Emmie was learning something

when she thought she was only playing. You see,

Emmie was learning how to use her imagination

and how to watch a story develop in her mind

that she didn’t know the ending to.

Every night, Emily Ann went to bed and

held Bonnie the Bear close. Emmie prayed to

God each night and thanked Him for His love, for

taking care of her, and for Jesus.



Many years passed, and Emily Ann grew

up. She still had Bonnie the Bear, and she

treasured her childhood with such a special little

friend. Though she outgrew her need for Bonnie,

and she no longer visited a closet that seemed

magical to her, Emily Ann still had her

imagination—and she still loved the thrill of

watching new stories come to life.

As Emily Ann grew up, she learned to put

her imagination on paper. She began to write

down her stories, and when she did, her love for

adventure and her inspiration from her

relationship with God took her to many amazing

and wonderful places in her mind and on the

written page. She even ended up writing and



publishing a book with the blessing and help of

God.

Emily Ann learned that her imagination

was a gift from God, and as she learned to use it

in many ways, she watched as God used her

creativity many times over to bless the lives of

those around her.

~

God has given each of us an imagination.

The more we use it, the more it will grow. The

more it grows, the more things we will be able to

use it for. I encourage you to use your

imagination every chance that you get. Love

God, follow Him, read His Word, the Bible, and



talk to Him every day in prayer. He always

wants to hear from you.

Your imagination—combined with a life

lived for God—can go hand in hand. It can be

used in amazing ways by God in your life as a

blessing to others, a way to bring others to know

God for themselves, and a way to give God praise.

Remember Emily Ann, Bonnie the bear,

and their imaginary world. Remember Emily

Ann’s nightly prayers. Remember her wonderful

imagination and her relationship with God

through Jesus. Finally, remember that God used

that precious time in her life to prepare her for

her future as an author.



Use your imagination every day. Learn to

walk closely with God now, while you are young.

God will use all that you experience—go

through—and use your imagination to create—

to make you who He wants you to be.

You are loved. You have a purpose. God

sees you and He hears you when you talk to Him.

Talk to Him throughout your day and learn all

you can about Him and His love for you.

Read and play—love and grow—fill your

mind with good things.

And always remember: God—who made

you—loves you dearly.



16

Polly Ann Penguin

Polly Ann was the newest penguin in the

penguin exhibit at the aquarium by the bay. She

didn’t know anyone, and to make matters worse,

everyone seemed to be giving her the cold

shoulder. None of the other penguins would talk

to her at all.



Polly Ann tried doing tricks as she swam

in the water to get the other penguins to notice

her—but that didn’t work.

She tried a polite, “Excuse me, can I join

in?” when some lady penguins were talking in a

circle, but they just moved closer together,

forming a tighter circle and completely ignoring

her.

Polly Ann was beside herself! She just did

not know what to do. So she hopped to the

highest rocks of the exhibit and cried.

One of the seagulls who’s nest was nearby

heard Polly Ann crying and flew over to find out

what was wrong.



“I heard you crying from my nest,” the

seagull said. “I’m Sue. What’s your name?”

“Polly Ann,” the little penguin sniffed.

“What’s wrong, Polly Ann? Why are you

crying?” Sue asked.

“I’m new here, and no one wants to be my

friend. No one will even talk to me,” Polly Ann

said with a sigh.

“Well, I’ll be your friend, Polly Ann,” Sue

said. “I don’t know any of the penguins—none of

them has ever wanted to talk to me, either—but I

know all of the sea gulls. I can introduce you to

all of my friends,” Sue offered.



“Oh, that would be so nice!” Polly Ann

said happily. “Now I won’t be all alone

anymore.”

Pretty soon, Polly Ann knew all of the sea

gulls, and she spent all of her time with them.

Before long, the people visiting the penguin

exhibit started to notice the little penguin that

stayed close to the sea gulls and who seemed to

be chattering away with them. The sight was so

unusual to the people looking on that the

aquarium soon became famous for “the little

penguin that was friends with the sea gulls.”

One day, a little girl who had come to visit

the aquarium with her family said to her mother,



“Mom, I think I can learn a lesson from that little

penguin.”

“What’s that, sweetie?” Her mom asked.

“Well—just like the penguin has friends

that are not like it, and the sea gulls have

accepted a bird who is not like them, I think God

wants me to be friends with someone who is

different than everyone else—someone who

needs a friend,” the little girl said.

“That is a wonderful and true thought,

Honey. I am so proud of you. God has given you

a heart to please Him and that is very precious. I

love you!” The little girl’s mom said.



“I love you too, Mom!” The little girl said

as she gave her mom a hug and they moved on to

the next exhibit.

As time passed, the other penguins did

begin to accept Polly Ann—but because the sea

gulls were her first friends, she continued to

spend most of her time with them, chatting the

days away.

Polly Ann was different, but that didn’t

matter to her. God had blessed her with friends,

and she was determined to be the best friend to

them that she could be.



17

Rose—A Flower and her Thorns

The Gardener’s garden was lush and full

of life. There were beautiful white lilies, bright

pink azaleas, and light blue forget-me-nots.

There was a small fish pond surrounded by

smooth stones with a small flowing waterfall.

There were orange marigolds; pink, white, and

purple impatiens; and bright red geraniums.



Bees buzzed and butterflies floated in the air—

going from flower to flower.

At the center of the Gardener’s garden

was a white bench right next to a gravel path

that led to the garden’s one rose bush. A flower

named Rose had budded and bloomed on that

prize bush. Rose was tall, slim and beautiful.

Her petals were a velvety red and her leaves

were a deep, deep green. Everyone admired her

beauty, but when they came near to touch her,

each person was pricked by her sharp thorns.





Rose wasn’t sorry that she caused pain to

others. In fact, she enjoyed it. You see, Rose was

angry. She knew that her time to live and bloom

in the Gardener’s garden was short, and she

didn’t want anyone coming near her and making

her life shorter or more miserable than it already

was.

The Gardener had tried to clip Rose and

remove her thorns in the past, but she had never

been willing to trust the Gardener by giving up

her life or her thorns. She held on to her only

way to strike out at the world—but the Gardener

had never given up hope of Rose one day

bringing joy to those around her instead of

causing harm.



An earthworm named Ed, who made

Rose’s soil healthy, heard about Rose’s anger and

the pain she was causing. He decided to send a

message to her through her roots in the soil he

lived in.

This is what he said:

“Rose, I have long admired your

beauty. God made you beautiful to bring

joy to others. But what I have heard is

that you make things difficult on purpose

for those who you were made to please.

“Give up your life and your thorns

willingly to the Gardener. Rejoice in the

time given to you. You will find joy in

living for the purpose God made you for.



Drink in the dew of the morning and give

off the beautiful scent of love. Give

yourself to brightening someone’s day

instead of determining to wound them.

“Give yourself back to your Maker

and surrender to His will. Once you are

His and you discover what it is to be

satisfied in belonging to your Maker, you

will know the joy of fulfillment.

“Leave behind your anger.

Embrace kindness and accept your life the

way it is. You were made to show God’s

beauty. Give thanks for who you were

made to be, and for how long you have on

this earth.



“My dear Rose, enjoy the life God

gave you, and give up your life willingly

when it is time.

“These are the words of a humble

earthworm to a flower of great worth.

May God shine His light on you and send

His rain in its season all the days of your

life,” Ed finished as he sent his message to

Rose through her roots in his soil.

When Rose received Ed’s message, she

was surprised. No one had ever challenged her

before in such love and concern for her. It was

the love that was behind the wise earthworm’s

message that caused Rose to listen.



Rose allowed the Gardener to remove her

thorns one day when she was clipped and taken

into the Gardener’s home. The Gardener was

bringing home his bride that night, and he

wanted to give her a prize of highest value to him

symbolizing his love for her—so he gave her

Rose.

Eventually all of the life drained out of

Rose—but because she gave up her thorns, she

was able to bring joy in a very special way while

serving her Gardener. Rose learned that she had

to give up her anger and her thorns to gain joy—

but once her thorns were gone, she truly did

have joy for the rest of the days that she lived.



Galatians 5:16-25*

Those who belong to Jesus Christ have put their

selfish deeds to death (including outbursts of

anger), and they are now able to do what God

commands by the Holy Spirit who is alive in

them and who produces godly fruit like joy in

their lives.

*(My Paraphrase)



18

Sammy’s Search

Sammy the lion was hungry—but what

could a little lion cub like him eat? So far, he had

been drinking his mother’s milk, but it was time

for some exploring. He wanted to test out some

other possibilities.

So Sammy tried the closest thing to him –

some grass. “Hmmm... Well, it looks green and



crunchy. Maybe it will taste good.” So, he took a

big bite. “Pyah!” He spit it out right away. “Lion

cubs do not like grass!”

Onto the next thing… So Sammy tromped

along, and next he saw a beetle. “This might

work. It’s kind of ugly, but maybe it would taste

good.” So, he gobbled it up. It was sure crunchy!

But what an awful taste! He spit the big bug out,

too! “Oh, there has to be something I can eat!”

Sammy was getting a little discouraged.

He wanted to find a meal all on his own and be

independent, but this was not working out so

well. He knew one thing though: this little lion

was not going to give up! He would just keep

searching!



“Look! There’s a flower and something big

and juicy looking next to it on that plant.” Sammy

thought to himself. “Maybe that will taste good.”

Sure enough, the flower and fruit did taste good.

But he was still hungry.

Sammy wandered a little farther from his

den and found a nest on the ground with some

eggs in it. These looked really good! Now, if he

could just snatch one of those eggs… He got

closer and closer until all of a sudden the mama

bird came swooping out of nowhere crying out in

rage and attacking Sammy! She was protecting

her unborn babies. Well, Sammy high-tailed it

out of there at double speed, but not without

getting pecked at and scratched up a few times.



As soon as he was far enough away, he

licked his wounds and sat on the ground trying

not to cry. He was trying to be like a big lion—

and big lions NEVER cry! But it was just too

much for him. He had tried so hard to find food

on his own, but the food he did find either wasn’t

satisfying or was too dangerous for him to get a

hold of. He had to face it: he had failed. So, he

started crying—softly at first, until his cries grew

louder and louder, and his mom—who had been

searching for him—heard them.

“Sammy, dear,” his mother said, “What

have you been doing?”

Sammy looked up at his mom and

answered, “I wanted to try and make it on my



own. So I went out and searched for all kinds of

food. But, Mama! I just can’t do it! I can’t feed

myself!

“Well, of course you can’t, Sammy! You’re

not a grown lion. You have to rely on me to feed

you,” His mom said with a smile. “Why don’t you

come home to the den with me now? I have a

special surprise for you waiting there!”

“Okay, Mama,” Sammy sniffed. “I guess I

just can’t take care of myself yet.”

“Sammy, you will grow up to be part of a

family of lions. Your family will be called a pride.

You will always be dependent on those in your

pride.



“Your life will never be what it was meant

to be unless you learn to rely on others at times

when you need help to get things done. You will

have a part to play in your family group, and so

will everyone else. You will need to learn to give

of yourself to the others in your lion pride, and

you will all work together to help each other

survive.

“Above all, you have to rely on God, our

Creator, who provides food for us. He gives us

breath and He sends us our food. We are

completely reliant on Him for our very lives,” his

mother explained.

“Oh…” Sammy said as he thought about all

that his mother had said.



“Here we are—back home at the den! Are

you ready for your surprise?” Sammy’s mom

asked.

“Yeah!” Sammy said. “But I’m really

hungry! I guess I’ll have to have milk again, since

I couldn’t find anything better to eat.”

Sammy’s mother laughed, “Well, you can

have some milk, but I have something else for

you, too! The lionesses caught a zebra last night!

You get to try meat for the first time today!”

“Oh, boy! Really?” Sammy was so excited!

If only he would have stayed near the den this

morning, he could have been eating already.

Instead of coming to his mother to ask for food,

he had gone out on his own. His mother had



taken care of his needs already, and he had

wandered away from her, thinking that he could

find a better way on his own.

Sammy settled in to enjoy his first meal of

meat ever with some of his mother’s milk on the

side. “Wow! This meat tastes good!” He told his

mom. “It tastes much better than anything I

found today on my own!” Sammy said as his

mother laughed in pleasure.

Sammy had a lot to think about, but he

was getting drowsy. It seemed that a nap would

soon be in order for this little adventurous lion

cub who had just learned the value of accepting

the help he needed from the ones who loved him

most.



Psalm 104:21, 27-30*

Lions look to God to provide their food.

God provides food for all the animals, and He

decides when they die and when they are born.

He is the One who gives and takes away the

breath that gives them life. He creates each

creature that is born by sending His Spirit to

create them.

Isn’t that amazing? What a Great and Awesome

God!

*(My Paraphrase)



19

Seymour the Parrot

Seymour was a rude parrot. He knew lots

of words, and somehow the wrong ones always

came out at the wrong times.

Seymour lived in Mrs. Ann’s hat shop.

Seymour had picked up his bad habit of being

rude from watching TV with Mrs. Ann’s husband,



and no one knew quite what to do to make

Seymour into a polite parrot.

One day, a nicely dressed lady came into

the hat shop and said, “Oh what a pretty bird!”

as she moved in Seymour’s direction.

“Not another step!” Seymour said loudly.

“Why, what a funny bird!” The lady said.

Instead of being offended by Seymour, she was

fascinated.

“My dear Lady,” the nicely dressed

woman said to Mrs. Ann. “Is this bird for sale?”

“Well, I hadn’t really thought of selling

him. He is terribly rude, and no one has ever

asked to buy him before.” Mrs. Ann replied.



After a pause, Mrs. Ann said, “Now that

you mention it, I realize that before long, I will

have to be finding another home for him. I am

getting older and I lost my husband a couple of

years ago. Seymour will outlive me. Are you

sure you would be able to give such a rude

parrot a nice home?” Mrs. Ann asked the nice

lady.

“Yes—you see, my son has a disability,

and I know that he would be fascinated with this

bird. I also have a mild-mannered cat that may

be able to teach Seymour some manners. I will

make certain that he has a good home and a long

life. My name is Lucy—Lucy Asters. It is a

pleasure to meet you, Ma’am,” Lucy said.



So it was all settled. Lucy came back in a

couple of days and brought Seymour home with

her. Seymour made Lucy’s son, Eddie, laugh and

laugh with all of his ridiculous words.

Lucy’s cat was named Regina, and she

was the gracious and sweet queen of the home.

When Seymour had been in his new home

for a week, Regina leaped gracefully onto the

table by Seymour’s birdcage to give him a little

advice.

“Excuse me, Mr. Seymour,” Regina said

politely.





“What’s up, Doc?” Seymour said with a

cackle.

“Now you really must stop that,

Seymour,” Regina tried again.

“Go away,” Seymour piped.

“Now listen here. I know you are a parrot,

and you only repeat what you hear. May I

suggest that you listen to the words of the kind

lady of this home? She loves God, and her words

are filled with kindness, love, and wisdom.

Retrain your tongue and start listening to things

that are good and right and true.”

“Good and right and true,” Seymour

echoed.



“That’s it, Seymour! Keep your little ears

open and start repeating after Lucy. Fill the air

with words of life,” Regina said.

“Words of life,” Seymour repeated.

“You’ve got it! That’s excellent! Keep it

up, Seymour,” Regina encouraged as she hopped

down from the table and went in search of a

place for a good nap.

“Excellent!” Seymour said. Regina smiled

as she continued on her way.

From that day on, Seymour did what

Regina had suggested. He listened to the words

of life spoken by Lucy, and he repeated them.

Now whenever Eddie sat and listened to



Seymour, instead of laughing, he became very

calm and peaceful. Seymour’s words blessed

everyone who heard him.

A few weeks later, Lucy came up to

Seymour and said, “Wow, Seymour! You have

changed. I knew you would be a delight to my

son, but now you are a huge blessing to

everyone. Keep it up, my friend!” Lucy said with

a smile.

“Keep it up, my friend,” Seymour echoed.

Lucy smiled her brightest smile. “Why,

thank you, Seymour. I will. God bless you.”

“God bless you,” Seymour answered back.



And that started a lifelong friendship

between Lucy and Seymour—a friendship built

on life-giving words.

Proverbs 18:21*

The words we speak have the power of life and

death.

*(My Paraphrase)



20

Spike

The Turtle who was Rescued and

Loved

One evening, a long time ago, a small

turtle the size of a silver dollar made its way

away from the sandy beach of his pond and

toward the lights on the nearby road.



That same evening, a mother and her son,

Jamie, were taking an evening stroll. “Mommy,

look!” Jamie said. “That baby turtle is on the

road! What if someone drives by? It will be

killed!”

“You’re right, honey,” Jamie’s mom

answered her son. “We need to save it.”

So Jamie’s mom looked both ways on the

street and stepped out to get the little turtle to

safety. Jamie and his mom went toward the

beach of the pond, set the turtle near the water,

and watched to make sure he went in the water.

The only problem was that the baby turtle

did not go toward the water. Instead, he turned

around and headed straight for the road again.



“Oh no!” Jamie said. “He’s going toward

the road! Mommy, stop him!” Jamie pleaded.

Jamie’s mom picked up the turtle again

and placed him near the water, but he did the

same thing. She did this several times until she

picked up the little turtle one last time and spoke

to her son.

“Jamie, we are going to have to take this

little guy home with us in order to save his life.

He won’t go back to safety.” Jamie’s mom said.

“Oh boy! Really Mommy? We’re going to

get to keep him?” Jamie said excitedly.



“Well, that will be up to Daddy. But we

can keep him safe tonight. Let’s go home.” Mom

said.

So Jamie and his mom walked home with

Jamie’s mom carrying the tiny turtle the whole

way. When they got to their apartment, Mom got

a large plastic popcorn bucket out of the cabinet,

and that became the little turtle’s home for the

next few days.

Jamie’s sister, Liz, and his Dad were

surprised to see a turtle come home with Jamie

and Mom.

“What are we going to name him?” Jamie

asked. Liz thought of the name “Scooter,”

because the little turtle scooted across the



kitchen floor so fast. But in the end, it was the

name their Dad chose that stuck.

“Spike—his name should be Spike,” Dad

said. “Look at the spikes on his shell.” Everyone

agreed. Spike became the turtle’s name, and he

was adopted into the family.

The family got Spike a little plastic tank,

put a rock in it, and fed Spike every day. Many

days passed, and Spike grew and grew. Before

too long, he was too big for his tank, so they got

him a bigger one.

More time passed, and Spike continued to

eat and grow until he outgrew the second tank.

No matter how many times they got him a bigger

tank, Spike kept outgrowing each one.



Years were passing, and the kids were

growing, too. They still loved to see Spike,

though. He followed their fingers up and down

and side to side with his head. It was like a little

game to them, and Spike seemed to enjoy the

company.

As the years passed, Mom was the one

who cleaned Spike’s tank whenever it got dirty.

As Spike got bigger, his tank got dirty faster and

faster and Mom worked hard to keep it clean.

Many more years passed, and Jamie and

Liz grew up and moved out. Spike was still at

home, living with Mom and Dad. There was just

one problem—no matter what water filter they

tried in his tank, Mom was still having to clean it



every day—Spike’s tank water stank! If Mom

and Dad couldn’t find a solution, they would

have to find another home for Spike!

Dad didn’t want Spike to leave. Spike had

become part of their family and had been with

them for 21 years. Dad decided to do everything

that was within his power to save Spike.

So Dad read a lot about taking care of

turtles and what it takes to make the water in a

turtle tank healthy, clear, and clean. After

reading and reading and reading, Dad knew what

to do—he needed to design a tank just for Spike.

Dad went to many pet stores to find all of

the things he needed for the specially designed

tank, and he got the right things to put in the



water. He worked many hours on Spike’s tank,

but at last he was finished—and guess what? It

worked! Spike’s water stayed clean and clear for

over a month!

Dad had saved Spike’s life, and he had

worked hard to make sure that Spike could stay

in their home.

Spike had been rescued twice now by his

family.

One day when Liz was home visiting Mom

and Dad, she told her Mom, “You know, Mom—

it’s really cool. Spike was rescued by us just like

we have been rescued by God. And God never

gives up on us—just like Dad wouldn’t give up on

Spike. Once we belong to God, we are part of His



family, and no one can do anything to take us

away from Him.”

“That is so true, Liz. I never thought of it

like that,” Mom agreed with a smile as she

thought about her daughter’s words.

Spike’s future was secure. Now every

time Mom passed by his tank in the kitchen, she

remembered her daughter’s words, and she

thanked God for rescuing her and making her His

child forever—just like Spike had been rescued

by them and would always be part of their

family.



21

Te Amo the Tiger

Te Amo (pronounced “Tay Ahmoh”) the

Tiger was the newest Tiger in the zoo. There

was just one problem for Te Amo. He had spent

most of his life in the country of Chile as a prize

to a wealthy family, so he spoke mainly Spanish

and these tigers spoke English. He did not fit in

at all.



When he arrived, Te Amo said to the

other tigers, “Habla Espanol?” He was asking

them if they spoke Spanish.

The other tigers looked at each other and

laughed.

“What did you say?” One of the tigers

asked.

“Don’t you speak English?” The other one

said.

“No English,” Poor Te Amo said.

“We can’t be friends with him.” One tiger

said to the other.



“Yeah—he’s nothing like us,” the other

one agreed as they left poor Te Amo alone and

went to the other side of the exhibit.

Well, it didn’t take too long for the

zookeepers to figure out that Te Amo was not

accepted by the other male tigers. They decided

to put him in an exhibit with their female tiger,

hoping that the female would be more accepting

of Te Amo than the males had been.

When Te Amo was placed in the new

exhibit, he was already sad. No one liked him

here. He wanted to go home. But that was

before he met Lily.



“Excuse me—I’m Lily. What’s your

name?” Lily asked as she came up to introduce

herself to Te Amo.

“No understand,” Te Amo said.

Lily pointed at herself with her paw and

said, “Lily,” then she pointed to Te Amo with a

question in her eyes and a raised eyebrow to

show that she was asking a question.

Te Amo understood right away that she

was asking his name and that her name was Lily.

“Te Amo,” Te Amo said as he pointed his

paw at himself.

Lily smiled widely. She knew that they

had just begun their first step toward friendship.



As the days passed, Lily taught Te Amo

English, and Te Amo taught Lily Spanish. Lily

pointed at objects and said the English word and

Te Amo repeated it. Then he said the Spanish

word and Lily repeated it.

Before long, they were talking to each

other in their own languages—taking turns.

They would talk in Spanish for a little while and

then in English. Both Lily and Te Amo were fast

learners, and they became friends even faster

than they learned each other’s languages.

One day, Te Amo asked Lily why she had

shown him such kindness instead of rejecting

him like the others had.



Lily said, “Because I know that God loves

me, and He wants me to love others like He loves

me,” she said.

“Wow,” Te Amo said. “Can you introduce

me to your God? I want to have a love like that

too.”

And so she did. Lily and Te Amo lived out

the rest of their lives together as best friends.

Te Amo truly was a tiger who lived up to

his name, which means “I love you” in Spanish.

He was so thankful to God for the love that was

shown to him by Lily that, with God’s help, he

became a tiger who always showed God’s love to

every creature.



Te Amo and Lily continued on in the zoo

for the rest of their days, living every day of their

lives in the fullness of God’s love.



22

The Bright Red Lollipop

Anna skipped down the path with a bright

red lollipop still in its wrapper. Mrs. Simmons

had given it to her for helping her clean her

kitchen. Anna couldn’t wait to get home and

taste the sweet strawberry flavor. She would

savor each lick.



As Anna skipped along, she passed trees

and bushes and the occasional pathway to a

house. She lived in the country, and she knew

that she needed to get home soon so she could

get her chores done before dinner time.

On her way home, Anna passed old Mr.

Gavin’s house. As always, he was sitting on his

porch in his rocker, sadly rocking away. His wife

was no longer living, and he missed her terribly.

When Anna saw Mr. Gavin, she almost passed by,

but something made her stop.





Mr. Gavin is so sad, Anna thought. Maybe

if I give him my lollipop, he will be happy. Anna

really wanted to eat her lollipop, but she skew

that maybe Mr. Gavin needed the cheerfulness

that it would bring more than she needed a

sweet snack. So Anna started up the path to Mr.

Gavin’s house.

“Excuse me—Mr. Gavin?” Anna said.

“Oh, well hello there, Anna. What brings

you to my house today?” Mr. Gavin asked.

“Well, I would like to give you this

lollipop. It’s bright and cheery and I was hoping

it would make you happy,” Anna said with a

sweet smile.



“That is so kind of you, my dear. Thank

you,” Mr. Gavin said as he accepted Anna’s gift.

“Your thoughtfulness and kindness to me mean

more than you know. You have brightened my

day. God bless you, Anna,” Mr. Gavin said as

Anna said goodbye and skipped off toward

home.

Anna’s sweetness had brought tears to

Mr. Gavin’s eyes. He didn’t have many visitors,

and most people had forgotten about him.

Anna’s simple gift had made him feel a warm

glow in his heart, and he thanked God for the

reminder that he had never really been

forgotten—not by God.



Mr. Gavin knew that God had sent Anna as

a messenger of God’s love to let him know that

he would never be forgotten or alone. God saw

him, and God was with him as he experienced

pain and sadness.

Mr. Gavin also realized that God was

offering him joy in the midst of his pain—just as

God offers joy to all of His children at all times if

they will focus on Him and His goodness, choose

to praise Him no matter what, and trust Him

with all of their worries and cares.

That night, Mr. Gavin thanked God for His

love and for little Anna and her red lollipop. He

asked God to help him think of a way to bless her

in return.



The next morning, an idea came to him—

he would send Anna a red lollipop bouquet with

a thank you card in it.

The thank you card would read:

“Dear Anna,

The Lord has

blessed your gift of

kindness to me and God has

multiplied it and caused it

to give even more blessings

to me than you can imagine.

Please enjoy these

sweet red lollipops as a

token of my thanks. Maybe



you can use some of them

to pass along some joy to

others who need it just like

I did.

God bless you

always, Anna, with a heart

that serves the Lord.

Your Friend,

Mr. Gavin”

Mr. Gavin started his day with a smile on

his face for the first time in many years. He was

not forgotten. He would never be alone. God

had given him joy in the midst of sadness. Today



was a new day, and Mr. Gavin felt very blessed

indeed.



23

The Forgotten Bouncy Ball

There was once a shiny rubber bouncy

ball that was full of hopes and dreams of hours

and hours of playtime and fun. The ball was

medium-sized and it was half bright orange and

half navy blue. It waited eagerly in the store for

the day that it would be taken home and played

with.



One day, a man walked by the ball in its

bin with several other colored balls and he came

to a stop.

“This ball is just perfect!” He said. “Angie

loves orange and Nicholas loves blue. We can

play catch with this cool ball, and everyone will

love it!”

So the man picked up the ball and put it in

his cart. The bouncy ball couldn’t wait to be with

Angie and Nicholas! His dreams of hours of

playtime were coming true!

When the man arrived home, he called to

his children, “Angie! Nicholas! I have a surprise

for you! Come and see!”



“Daddy, Daddy!” Angie came running for

her hug.

“A surprise? What is it?” Nicholas asked

as he came into the room more slowly.

“Look!” Their dad said as he presented

the ball to them. “It’s a ball for us to play catch

with at the park! And it has both of your favorite

colors on it, so I knew that you would both love

it!” He finished proudly.

“Ewww! It has orange on it! I hate

orange!” Nicholas exclaimed.

“Daddy, it has dark blue on it! I’m not a

boy! I can’t play with that!” Angie stated



emphatically. And with that, both children went

off in search of something more exciting to do.

Their poor father looked at the ball and

said, “Well, so much for that!” And he tossed the

ball to the side as he went to the kitchen to find

his wife who was making dinner.

The bouncy ball lay in a dusty corner,

forgotten and confused. This was not how it was

supposed to be. He didn’t understand. He was a

ball, wasn’t he? He could bounce just as high as a

ball that was only navy blue—and he was just as

shiny as a ball that was only orange—but they

had rejected him simply because he had both

colors. Now he wouldn’t get to play games. He

would never get to be part of hours and hours of



fun with running and laughing children—and it

was all because he had been made with two

different colors instead of one. His two colors

would have brought joy by themselves, but had

brought rejection when put together.

For the next couple of years, the dejected

bouncy ball spent time on the play room shelf

behind another toy so that it was never seen. He

lost hope of ever playing even one game of catch.

One Wednesday afternoon, when the

children’s mom was cleaning things up in the

play room and setting things back on the shelf a

bit too forcefully, she accidentally jostled the

shelf and off rolled the bright orange and navy

bouncy ball.





“Oh my! I had completely forgotten

about this ball!” She said with a sigh as she

quickly gathered it with some other dusty old

toys and piled them up to take to the local

charity thrift store.

The bouncy ball didn’t really know what

was going on. He was put in the trunk of a car,

and when the trunk was opened, he was given

over to strange people in a strange place in the

back of a thrift store and tossed into a bin to be

sorted.

He finally ended up sitting on another

crowded shelf filled with various toys. Some of

the toys worked and some were broken, but all

had been used in some way or previously owned.



The bouncy ball did not have any hopes

or dreams left. He was convinced that his maker

had made him wrong and that no one could ever

appreciate him for how he was. He was sure that

he was a mistake and that everyone who looked

at him could see it.

As the days went by and shoppers

browsed the shelves, he got pushed to the back,

once again forgotten.

One Saturday morning, the thrift store

was filled with people. Two of those people

were a young married couple named Janie and

Jim. They made their way over to the crowded

toy aisle, in search of something specific. They



did not have much money, so to Janie and Jim,

this seemed like the perfect place to look.

They each scanned the shelves carefully

in search of the perfect treasure. When they

drew near, the bouncy ball paid no attention to

them, for he was certain that he would sit on this

dusty shelf for the rest of his days.

All of a sudden, Janie pulled at Jim’s

sleeve, pointed, and said, “Jim—look! It’s

perfect!”

Jim looked to where his wife was pointing

and said, “Well, what do you know? You’re right,

Honey! It is perfect!” He agreed as he reached to

the back of the shelf and picked up the dusty

orange and navy blue bouncy ball.



The bouncy ball was stunned. Were they

talking about him?

But wait, he thought skeptically as he

remembered back to another time when he had

been called perfect—right before all of his

dreams had been shattered. Surely this time

would be no different. He would never see play

time, and he would just be discarded again.

The bouncy ball decided to listen as the

man and the woman began talking again. Janie,

who was going to have a baby, took the ball from

her husband’s hands and lovingly wiped the dust

off of it.

“Look, Jim—it’s half orange and half navy

blue. Your favorite color is orange and mine is



navy. Just like those colors are joined together

on this ball and can’t be separated, God has

joined us together that no man would ever

separate us. Isn’t it special?” Janie said with

tears coming to her eyes—because she was

pregnant with a baby inside of her, she was more

emotional than she normally would have been.

“It is special!” Jim agreed. “It will be the

perfect ball for our boy to play with! But until he

gets old enough to enjoy it, we can play with it

with Roscoe! You know how our little dog loves

to play ball! One day our son will use this ball to

play with Roscoe, too!” Jim smiled as he put his

hand on his wife’s pregnant belly, and Janie

smiled warmly in return.



The bouncy ball couldn’t believe it! They

had called him special—because of his colors

that had once caused him to be rejected! He was

going home to be appreciated and played with.

Could this be real? But it was real and he was

going home!

The next years were bliss!

The bouncy ball became Jim and Roscoe’s

favorite play toy. Every day when Jim came

home from work, he pulled out the special

bouncy ball and played a game of fetch with his

dog. Jim was always careful to preserve the ball,

for to him and Janie, it was special. Because of its

colors, it represented their marriage, and it was

meant for the son God was sending them.



Jim and Janie’s son, Jamie, was born to

them soon after they brought the bouncy ball

home, and he grew into a strong young boy. Jim

and Janie trained him up in the ways of the Lord.

Neither orange nor navy were Jamie’s favorite

color—but he loved the ball his parents gave to

him, for he loved them and they had taught him

to be thankful for what he had been given and

content with what he had.

The special bouncy ball spent his days

being enjoyed—and enjoying day after day and

hour after hour of playtime. This was what he

had been made for. At long last, he saw that how

he was made gave pleasure to the ones he knew

he had been made for. He knew he was not a



mistake, and he rejoiced with every bounce and

every laugh he brought to Jamie and his family.

Psalm 139: 14*

You are hand made by God, and He calls you

wonderful. The way God made you is a

testimony to how great He is.

Mark 10:6-9*

Jesus said that man and woman are joined

together by God when they are married, and no

man should separate them.



Ephesians 2: 10*

You were made in Christ Jesus to do good works

that God prepared for you to do before you were

born so that you would follow Him and do those

things that He has laid before you to do.

Hebrews 13:5*

God wants us to be content with what we have.

Colossians 3:15*

God wants us to always be thankful.

*(My Paraphrase)



24

The Little Red Bow Tie

Jimmy’s face was all scrunched up. He

was only five years old, and he was trying to get

ready for his sister’s wedding. There was only

one problem—he couldn’t tie his tie!

Just as Jimmy was about to give up,

Grandpa came into his room carrying a small

rectangular black box.



“Hey there, Buddy!” Grandpa said to

Jimmy. “Why don’t you come and see what I

have here in this little box? I think it will solve

your problem,” Grandpa said with a smile.

Jimmy came over, looked at Grandpa

curiously and opened the box. Inside was a

small, perfect red bow tie—and it was a clip-on!

“Oh, Grandpa! Thank you! I can put this

one on all by myself!” Jimmy said happily.

“That’s right! I thought it would be just

the thing for you on this special day,” Grandpa

said.





“Thank you, Grandpa!” Jimmy said again

as he threw his arms around his favorite person

in the whole world.

“You’re welcome, Jimmy! Now, what do

you say we go and watch your sister get

married?” Grandpa said with a big smile and a

wink.

“Yeah! Let’s go! I’m all ready!” Jimmy

said as he quickly took off the tie and easily

clipped on the little red bow tie.

Many years passed from that special day,

but Jimmy kept his special red bow tie.

Eventually, Jimmy had his own children,

and one of them was a boy. Jimmy’s son was



four years old when Jimmy’s Grandpa left this

life to go be with Jesus in heaven. On the day of

the funeral, Jimmy tearfully helped his son dress

in a suit just his size. When it was time to put on

the tie, Jimmy brought out the little red bow tie

that his Grandpa had given to him so long ago.

“Gabe,” Jimmy said to his son, “This is a

special bow tie. My Grandpa gave it to me, and

now I am giving it to you. Treasure it and

remember your Great-Grandpa who always

loved your Dad and who always loved God. He

always took such special care of me. Keep that

little red bow tie and remember the bright splash

of life and the warm love that Grandpa brought

to your Dad and to everyone he knew.”



Little Gabe looked up at his Dad with

wide, serious eyes, and nodded. “Yes, Daddy. I

will,” Gabe said.

As Gabe grew up, Jimmy made sure that

his son knew that his great-grandfather had lived

a life of love—for both God and others. Gabe

loved his Great-Grandpa even though he could

not really remember him. He had the loving

memories of his father, and Gabe respected and

loved his father. If Gabe’s Dad loved his Great

Grandpa that much, he must have been

wonderful! Gabe knew that his Great Grandpa

must have really lived a life of love.

Well, more time passed, and Gabe grew

up and got married, too. But Gabe and his wife



only had one child—and it was a girl. They

named their daughter Gabriella, and she was a

very bright and special young girl.

By Gabriella’s twelfth birthday, Gabe had

realized that he and his wife would have no more

children, and he knew that it was time for him to

pass on the little red bow tie to the next

generation.

Now Gabriella spent her days in a

wheelchair. She could not move her legs at all.

She never let that get her down, though. She saw

the sunshine in every situation. She was truly a

blessing to everyone she knew.

For her twelfth birthday that year, Gabe

and his wife were surprising Gabriella with her



own service dog—a black female Labrador

Retriever named Charlee.

Because Charlee was such an unexpected

and special gift, Gabe wanted to save her for the

last birthday surprise. So on the morning of

Gabriella’s birthday, right after her mom had

helped her get dressed, Gabe went into

Gabriella’s room to have a special talk with her.

“Gabby, do you remember all of the talks

we’ve had about your Great-great Grandpa?”

Gabe asked his daughter.

“Yeah, Daddy! Why do you ask?”

Gabriella asked her Dad.



“Well, I have a special gift for you today

on your birthday. It’s a gift that was given to me

by my Dad—your Grandpa—who received it

from his Grandpa—who was my Great Grandpa

and your Great-great Grandpa.

“My Great Grandpa died when I was only

four years old, but my Dad wanted me to

remember him—the way my Great Grandpa

loved everyone and the way he loved God. So, he

gave a gift to me to wear on the day of my Great

Grandpa’s funeral—a gift to keep and pass on—

along with the memories that my Dad shared

with me. I have shared those memories with

you, but today I want to give you the gift, too,”

Gabe said.



“Oh, how special!” Gabriella said as her

face lit up with a smile. “What is the special gift,

Daddy?” Gabriella asked.

“Well, here it is, sweetie—a gift from your

Great-great Grandpa, your Grandpa, and me. Go

ahead—open it! It was originally meant for a

boy, but I hope that you will treasure it anyway,”

Gabe said hopefully.

“Oh, Daddy! I know I will!” Gabriella said

as she accepted the small black rectangular box

with a red bow on top.

When Gabriella opened the box, she said,

“Oh—what a cute little bow tie—so bright, red,

and cheery! Its color reminds me of how much

love Great-great Grandpa showed in his life,



because red is the color of love. Oh, thank you,

Daddy! What a wonderful gift!” Gabriella said

with delight as she threw her arms around her

Dad’s neck.

“That’s not all!” Gabriella’s mom said

from the door of her daughter’s room as she led

Charlee in to meet Gabriella. Charlee was

wearing a purple bandanna around her neck that

went very nicely with her black coat of hair.

“A dog??!!” Gabriella exclaimed. “Is she

for me? Really? Oh, she is so beautiful! What’s

her name?” Gabriella asked—her voice full of

the happiness and joy that was in her heart.

“Charlee,” Gabe said. “Her name is

Charlee. Do you like her? She’s yours, and she is



trained to help you every day with everything

you do. She will always be by your side. I hope

you two will become new best friends!”

“Oh, Mom! Daddy! How wonderful!

Thank you! You know what? I just thought of

the perfect use for the treasured little red bow

tie. I will clip it right here on Charlee’s purple

bandanna where I can see it every day, all day,

and remember Great-great Grandpa and how he

lived to love God and others with all of his heart.

It will help me to want to be like that, too. I love

you both so much! Thank you! And thank you for

being the kind of parents who show me every

day what it is to live that kind of life of love,”

Gabriella said as she received hugs from both of

her parents.



Gabe thanked God for his delightfully

wonderful daughter who taught him something

new every day. She saw the little red bow tie as

a treasure even though she was not a boy, and

she wanted to see it every day to remind her to

love how God wanted her to—just as her Great-

great Grandpa had.

The little red bow tie that Charlee now

wore continued to motivate Gabriella to love

how God wanted her to. Everywhere she went,

when she was asked about the cute little red bow

tie on Charlee’s bandanna, she shared what it

meant to her—that it represented a life lived in

God’s love.



Gabriella was determined to live her days

seeing the sunshine in every situation, and

Charlee was her companion through it all as they

spent their days together, being a blessing to

each other and to everyone they knew.

This is the story of one little red bow tie’s

journey. Who knew that such a simple object

could become such a special treasure? And it

was all because it represented the love of a

Grandfather who loved God and others with his

whole heart.

The simple gift of a little red bow tie had

become a treasure because of the love behind it.

Now, a legacy had been formed and passed down

so that the future children born into the family



would never forget to live in the love of God and

to love others just as their distant Grandpa had

done and every generation had done since then.

The little red bow tie had become a part

of a legacy. It was a treasure—not because of

what it was—but because of the love it

represented.

God’s love never dies— and praise God—

He always gives His children reminders of His

love in the form of perfect gifts from up above.

For this family, one of God’s special

reminders of His love came to them in the form

of this one little red bow tie.



James 1:17*

Every gift that is good and perfect is from God up

above.

*(My Paraphrase)



25

The Old Oak Tree

Once there was an old oak tree

Down by the brook.

It was surrounded by life of every kind—

Come take a look.



There were insects on the trunk,

And worms in the ground.

A bee hive hung in the tree,

Where many bees flew around.

But all these critters were friendly,

And they kept to their own.

This is how they showed

How much they loved their home.



There were squirrels that scampered

Here and there,

Collecting and burying acorns

Everywhere.

It was fun to watch

Their amusing antics

As the squirrels ran about

Playing all kinds of tricks.



Ducks often gathered

Upon the soft bank by the brook.

They napped in the shade

In their own little nook.

After their snooze,

The ducks ate their lunch:

A bug here, a bug there,

Crunch, crunch, crunch.



High in the branches,

There was a nest.

In it was a robin

With a lovely orange breast.

She sat on her eggs

By day and by night,

Waiting for the day

Her chicks would see the light.



This old oak tree

Had visitors too.

Some came for food,

Others stayed for the view.

Little birds came to eat worms

And perch on the limbs.

They sang their sweet songs,

Voicing nature’s own hymns.



Early in the mornings,

Little cotton tail rabbits came too

From a nearby thicket

To munch on the sweet grass soaked in dew.

One more important visitor came

And this place she well knew,

For she had found that nowhere else

Did the sky look so blue.



This visitor was none other

Than a simple little girl,

Who found the old oak tree to be

More precious to her than any other place in the

world.

She loved to come and sit

In the shade of the old oak tree

And pray to the Creator who made it all

Out of love for you and me.



You can still find

That old oak tree down by the brook.

Someday when you are able,

I encourage you to go and take a look.

The creatures will be waiting,

And God will be too.

He wants you to see Him through His Creation—

Yes, God is waiting for you.



The End…

May the End of this book bring you closer

To a new beginning

On your road with God.

God bless you!



Knowing Jesus and God’s Love

For Yourself

Do you know that God loves you? Did

you know that God made you for a

special reason? He loves you very

much.

The Bible says that every good and

perfect gift is from above—from God,

the Heavenly Father (James 1:17).

Can you think of some good things in



your life? Those are some ways that

God is showing you that He loves you.

God’s biggest gift to you is Jesus. God

sent His only Son Jesus to earth to

live, die a cruel death on a cross, and

be raised to life from the dead—

because He loves you, and He wants

you to know Him personally so you

can live with Him forever one day.

You see, every person does wrong

things, which are called sin, and

deserves to be punished forever—but

when we receive Jesus as our Lord,



our sin is forgiven, because Jesus died

in our place. Jesus lived the only

perfect life, and that is why He could

take our place and suffer the

punishment we deserve.

Now that Jesus is alive in Heaven

with God after being raised from the

dead, Jesus offers to cover our

wrongdoing and give us the only way

to heaven and the only way to come

before God and have a relationship

with Him.



If you want to receive God’s love, ask

God to forgive you for your sins, and

turn from the wrong you have done.

Believe in your heart that Jesus is

God’s Son and that God raised Him

from the dead, and acknowledge Him

as Lord of your life both in your heart

and before others.

Be baptized in obedience to God’s

Word.

By answering God’s call to believe in

and love Jesus, you will become God’s



child, God will become your Heavenly

Father, and you will be saved from

God’s eternal punishment in hell.

God’s love will now be yours to live in

and share with others.

As God’s child, you will have His Holy

Spirit living inside of you, and He will

fill you with lots of love to share with

others. You will have a Heavenly

Father to call upon whenever you need

help to love a difficult person or

whenever you need help with anything

at all—big or small.



God is Love.

Is He drawing you to Himself?

Come to Him, for He made you, He

knows you better than anyone else,

and He loves you more than anyone

else. He knows everything you have

ever done wrong, and He still loves

you more than anyone else ever could.

He wants you to know His deep, deep

love for you.

Those who come to God are called by

Him (John 6:44; Acts 2:39).



Come to Him, so that you can know

His Love and so that you can live your

life with Someone who will never leave

you. Once you are His child, He has

promised to be with you always, so

there will never be a reason for you to

fear. (Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5)

Come place your trust in Jesus, and

know that He is always near.





Michelle Lores

Writes what God puts on her heart for the

purpose of producing materials that build up and

strengthen families in Jesus Christ.

Her desire in doing this is to bring glory to God

her Maker and Heavenly Father.

Family is very special to God, the Heavenly

Father of all believers in Christ Jesus.

Every family on earth derives its name from

Him. (Ephesians 3:14).

May God bless you with His grace, peace, and

love as you believe and trust in Him and His Son,

Jesus Christ.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.



Titles by

~Michelle Lores~

Children’s Titles:

Andie’s World

Auntie Netta’s Letters to Jollee and Ned

Book of SonShine Coloring Book

Branches of the Heavenly Father’s Love

Button Rose ~ A Little Bunny with an Unshakeable

Spirit

Celebrating Seasons and Holidays with Oscar the

Puppy

Dwight’s Prayer Journal

Godly Stories in Rhyme for Children and Families

Oscar the Christmas Puppy

Oscar the Puppy Explores His World

Prayers in the Attic

Pudge the Sheep

Stories and Tales Filled with God’s Love: For Kids

and Families



Inspirational Titles:

A Closer Look: A Picture Book

A Cup of SonShine for Your Day: A 31 Day Devotional

A Season for Change

Art & the Heart of God

Bowling with Limes in the Morning

Christmas Stories and Poems to Warm Your Heart

Fresh Paint!

His Name is Love: A Small Book of Poetry

It’s All About Jesus

Marriage with a Mission

My Safe Place

Poems and Letters for the Hurting

Poetry, Inspiration, and Hodgepodge!

Poetry, Love, & Art

Reflections of the Light

Springtime is Here!

Summer Posies: Images and Rhymes of Florida in the Summertime

Sweet Memories with Mama

The Garden By The Sea

Tikvah ~Hope’s Treasure Within~

Tranquil Moments in the Garden

When the Sun Comes Out Again

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For Kids and Families - WordPress.com · 2018-02-01 · Love Michelle Lores Page 16 looked around. Soon, when he looked up, he realized where the little pigeon had fallen from. “Well