09/02/2026
Once upon a time a little girl named Angie Fay and her brother, Alex Ray, lived in a cabin in the country surrounded by a forest and in that forest lived some animal friends who came and played with little Angie and Alex. There was Randy, the rabbit, Roscoe, the racoon; Patty, the ‘Possum; Susie, the Squirrel; Ollie, the Owl; Tommy, the Turtle; and Benny, the Bear.
They had lots of fun playing together until one day Angie and Alex, the seven-year-old twins, came into the clearing where they usually met with their animal friends and everyone was arguing and mad.
“What’s wrong?” Angie asked.
Nobody said anything.
“Oh, come on!” Alex said.
And then everybody started talking at once.
“it’s his fault,” said Benny Bear, pointing to Randy Rabbit.
“Yeah, he thinks he’s better than us,” Ollie Owl chimed in.
“Just because he can outrun the rest of us, he claims he’s the most important one,” Ollie Owl piped up. “I’d like to see him try to fly.”
“That doesn’t make him a bit more special than we are, does it?” Roscoe Raccoon asked, looking at Angie.
“No, it doesn’t,” agreed Angie. “I’d bet he can’t hold his breath under water half as long as you can.”
“I can run faster than you, too,” Randy Rabbit said to Angie and Alex.
“When God created us, He gave us each the gifts and abilities we needed to help us live and make things better for all of us,” Alex answered.
”Yes, that’s why we’re all special,” Angie told them.
“Right,” said Patty ‘Possum “I’d like to see Benny Bear swing by his tail from a tree limb. And she demonstrated by scampering up one of the nearby trees and swinging down from one of the branches just hanging by her tail.
Everybody laughed to think how funny Benny Bear would look hanging from a tree limb by his tail.
“He’d break every tree limb from every tree if he tried it,” said Sally Squirrel, joining in the laughter.
“Now you’re all laughing at me. That isn’t nice,” Benny Bear whined. “I’m stronger than all of you put together. That makes me special, too.”
“Sure it does,” Alex agreed.
“Neither was it nice for Roscoe Rabbit to claim he’s more important than us,” Sally Squirrel said. Then Sally Squirrel scampered up into the tree and watched as Patty ‘Possum climbed back up on the limb and they both jumped down from the limb where she was dangling by her tail. “None of you can climb up and down a tree that fast except Patty and me. But we don’t go around claiming to be more important.”
“That’s true,” Angie agreed. “That’s one of the abilities God gave you.”
“And I can see better than all of you,” said Ollie Owl, “but that doesn’t make me any more special, either, does it?”
“It makes you special in that way,” Alex agreed. “but not more special. We should always try to find a way to help others with our special abilities.”
Tommy Turtle came puffing into the clearing.
“Hey, slowpoke! You’re late as usual,” Roscoe Raccoon yelled. “We’re talking about all our special talents and abilities. What’s your special ability?”
“I’m slow because I carry my house with me. I don’t think any of you can do that,” Tommy Turtle retorted. “Benny lives in a cave; Ollie lives in a nest in a tree; Randy lives in a briar patch; Sally and Patty live in a tree, too. Roscoe lives in a hollow log. I don’t think any of you could carry your homes around with you without being a lot slower than I am.”
“Sometimes things that seem like a disadvantage can be helpful,” Alex added. “At Tommy’s slower pace, he could notice things that the rest of us might be too fast to to take time to spot.”
“Yeah, did any of you notice that there’s a storm coming?” Tommy asked, looking up at the black clouds boiling overhead.
“No,” Angie admitted.
“We were too busy arguing and showing off our abilities,” Ollie Owl agreed “Even with my special sight abilities, I was going too fast to notice.”
“Thank you for pointing it out,” Alex replied as big, fat rain drops began to fall and thunder rumbled loudly. And he and Angie ran for home.
The animals also scampered for their homes; all but Tommy Turtle. He just drew his head and feet up inside his shell and he was already at home.
