The Three Bears and Cactus

Dear Grandkids,

I love you and miss you s-o-o-o-o-o much! I can’t wait to see you again.
I wrote a story for you.

Once upon a time there were three bears. Daddy Bear, Mommy Bear, and Baby Bear. They lived in a house in the woods. They loved each other s-o-o-o-o-o much and they loved God.

Every day they went for walks in the woods to learn about God’s wonderful creation. Daddy bear wass-o-o-o-o-o smart. He knew lots about the animals, plants, and rocks. He also loved to learn new things. If he didn’t know something, he would try to learn about it.

One day they went for a long walk. They saw s-o-o-o-o-o many pretty birds, animals, and plants. They walked so far that they walked out of the woods and into a place with very few trees. It was getting pretty hot too.

“Where are we, Daddy?” said Baby Bear.

“This is a very special place called a desert,” said Daddy Bear. “It’s a place where it doesn’t rain very much.”

“Why is this a special place, Daddy?” asked Baby Bear.

“I used to love to come here when I was a young bear,” said Daddy Bear. “The desert shows us how smart God is. All plants need water to live, but it is really dry here. It only rains a tiny bit. S-o-o-o-o-o, God made some really special plants and animals that can live here. Every one of them is amazing to study! Each one shows us that God can provide a way even when it is hot and dry and looks impossible. There will be times in your life when bad things happen to you, Baby Bear. God will always provide even when it looks impossible. When I was sad, I would come to this desert to study something that lives out here.”

“What was your favorite plant, Daddy?” asked Baby Bear.

“That’s a hard question. I like them all, but I guess the cactus plant was one of my favorite ones,” said Daddy Bear. “They are s-o-o-o-o-o amazing!”

“What do they look like, Daddy?” asked Baby Bear.

“Well, there are about 2,000 different kinds of them. If you have only one of them it is called a cactus. If you have more than one, they are called cacti,” said Daddy Bear. “Let’s walk over this little hill and I’ll show you some,” and off they walked.

“Oh, there’s a cactus now,” said Daddy Bear. “It’s called a prickly pear cactus. Let’s go look at it.”

“What are all those needles on it, Daddy? They look like they would hurt if I touch them,” said Baby Bear.

“Those are called the spines,” said Daddy Bear. “Each one is like a little needle with a hook on the end. If you get stuck with one, it will hurt pretty bad. Most cacti have thousands of them so nobody will try to eat them. Those needles also make a special kind of way to keep the cactus cool when it gets hot. They make broken shade that makes the air move around. They also reflect sunlight away from the cactus to help it stay cooler. The air next to a cactus can be twenty degrees cooler than the rest of the air.”

“Wow! That’s real smart for God to make those little spines all over the cactus,” said Baby Bear. “Where does a cactus get water out here, Daddy?”

“Oh, that’s really amazing, Baby Bear!” said Daddy Bear. “Do you see how fat the leaves are on the cactus?”

“Yes, they are really thick,” said Baby Bear. “Why?”

“When it does rain a little bit, the cactus will soak up all the water it can and save it inside those fat leaves for all the days it doesn’t rain,” said Daddy Bear. “When I was little, I learned we should save up when things are good to have what we need when things are bad. It’s smart to save a little food and money when you can. Don’t spend it all. The cactus also has hundreds of little tiny roots that go way out to collect as much water as it can. This plant helped me learn that I should have lots of ways to get food, not just one way. That’s why we bears eat almost anything like nuts, berries, fish, moose, and even grass! God provided lots of ways for us to eat. He loves us s-o-o-o-o-o much!”

“How big do cacti get?” said Baby Bear.

“I think the littlest ones are about two inches tall, but the biggest ones…well, there are some over the next hill. Let’s go see them. You won’t believe it,” said Daddy Bear as they started walking again.

“Is that a funny tree, Daddy?” asked Baby Bear.

“No, that is a saguaro cactus,” said Daddy Bear. “They get fifty feet tall! One of these cacti can hold enough water to fill a bath tub.”

“Wow! That’s a huge cactus! Does it have poky spines too?” asked Baby Bear.

“Go over and touch it,” said Daddy Bear, “but be careful.”

“Ouch! They are sharp!” said Baby Bear as he touched one of the cactus spines. “It’s covered in them, Daddy! There are millions of them!”

“Look at those holes up by the top of the cactus, Baby Bear,” said Daddy Bear. “Some birds peck holes in the cactus to make their nest. It’s a real safe place for their babies to grow up. Do you think any animals would ever try to climb up there to get them.”

“No way!” said Baby Bear. “They would get poked all over their body!”

“Baby Bear, did you know that some books teach that cacti slowly evolved from other plants and that they learned to live in the desert all by themselves?” asked Daddy Bear.

“Plants don’t have brains to learn things! God designed plants to do the special things that they do. Why would someone come up with such a funny idea, Daddy?” asked Baby Bear.

“Son, some people just do not like to admit that God created the world, and some have been confused by their teachers. Those who are afraid to admit God created the cacti are afraid God may expect something of them. They want to do bad things, and so they just pretend that God is not real,” explained Daddy Bear.

“But, Daddy! God d-i-i-i-d make everything!” exclaimed Baby Bear.

“Yes, Son, everything we study in God’s creation points to Him as the Creator and just how w-o-o-o-o-n-d-e-r-f-u-l a creator He is!” agreed Daddy Bear.

“Well, Baby Bear, let’s go back home and pick some cactus fruit on the way for Mom,” said Daddy Bear.

“What is cactus fruit?” asked Baby Bear as he wrinkled his nose.

“Almost every cactus makes beautiful flowers after they get a little rain. The flower turns into a fruit that Mom will use to make jelly,” said Daddy.

“Cactus jelly? Is it good?” said Baby Bear.

“You won’t believe it!” said Daddy Bear. “I will be really careful when I pick the fruit off so I don’t get poked. Mom will cook them to make jelly and you can put some on your supper. God was s-o-o-o-o-osmart to make cactus plants!”

“What’s for supper, Daddy?” said Baby Bear.

“Why, porridge of course,” said Daddy Bear, “with cactus jelly on top.”
“Oh, goody! I love porridge!” said Baby Bear, and they walked home.

THE END

Source: The Three Bears and Cactus