StorySafari
At sunrise, Rabbit tucked her front paws together beside her burrow and closed her eyes. “Thank you, God, for this warm, safe home,” she whispered. “I’m glad my family and I have a place to rest.”
Rabbit felt peaceful after her quiet thank-you. Then a birdsong floated from high in the waking woods. She lifted one ear. Could a prayer be sung, as well as whispered?
High in an oak, Blue Jay looked down at three hungry nestlings waiting in their twig nest. He opened his beak and sang the first line of a prayer to God, asking for strong wings.
His song rose through the branches. “And please send plenty of berries for my hungry nestlings,” he sang. Below him, the three little birds listened.
From a lower branch, Rabbit listened with a small, amazed smile. “My thanks were a whisper,” she said. “Your hope is a song.” Blue Jay kept singing, and Rabbit understood there were many ways to pray.
The pond had shrunk, leaving Frog beside a muddy ring. He looked at the low water and worried. “My home needs rain,” he thought. “I hope it comes soon.”
Frog dipped one webbed foot into the shallow water and made a small splash. He hummed, then whispered, “Please, God, send rain to fill my pond.” He looked up hopefully.
Rabbit watched Frog’s little splashes. “My prayer was a whisper,” she said. Blue Jay tilted his head. “Mine was a song.” Frog’s prayer had splashes and a hum. Each way was different.
When night came, Turtle wanted to pray too. She tried to think of fancy words, but none came. “What can I say?” she wondered beneath the moon.
Turtle stretched out beneath the moon and let her thoughts rest with her friends. She thought of Rabbit, Blue Jay, and Frog, and felt glad they were near. Her friends listened quietly.
“You don’t need fancy words,” Rabbit said warmly. “Your loving thoughts are a prayer, too.” Blue Jay nodded, and Frog sat still beside Turtle. Turtle smiled with relief. Her quiet way was enough.
Beneath the moon, Rabbit closed her eyes. Blue Jay sang softly, and Frog made a tiny splash by the puddle. Turtle rested between her friends, eyes closed, sending her loving thoughts in a wordless prayer.
