While Jane Marie, author, and Martha Bear®, Senior Ursine Editor of GraciousJaneMarie.com, worked on stories behind the closed doors of the Story Central office in Stately Martha Manor, a small commotion erupted outside.

"I'm cold!" shouted Button, the baby calico catling [kitten] who lived with and was cared for by Pickles, Poodle, and Art, Martha Bear's three little white furred bearlings [cubs].

"Oh, my.  Oh, my, my!" exclaimed Poodle, the bearling with curly fur. 

"You sound just like Mama," Art told her. 

"I know I do.  Isn't that a better thing after all?"

"Mama says that, too.  Why are you talking like that?" 

"Well, I figure since everybody loves our mother, Martha Bear®, if I'm just like her, then they'll love me, too."

"That's silly, Poodle.  You can never be like Mama.  You don't have a flowerdy tummy like she does, and you can see with your eyes, while she sees with her heart because she has no eyes."

Poodle's black lips turned down in the corners.  "Well, I can still take good care of my baby Button, like Mama does of us, can't I?  I can be like her in that way."

Art felt bad about making his little sister sad.  "You're right.  You're already like her because you're so nice."

At the compliment, Poodle's frown turned right-side up into a crooked smile.  Mischievously, she called out, "I'm coming, Button.  We'll borrow Art's favorite sweater for you to wear.  How does that sound?"

Art's grin turned to a scowl at the idea of the claw-footed kitten snagging his sweater.  Whispering to himself, "It doesn’t sound too good to me.  What did I say about Poodle being nice?"

"How's it going, Art?"

Art looked up to see Airborne, Martha Bear's companion and advisor.  Airborne had overheard the entire conversation while perched atop the china cabinet between Jane Marie's antique suitcase and Christmas cake pedestal. 

"Oh hi, Airborne.  Things are OK, I guess.  But I try to be nice, and then I'm not.  And then when I am nice again, things don't work out like I want.  Why is that?"

"It seems life has its good and its not so good times.  The most important thing to remember is no matter what, loving and being loved are the greatest goals."

"Aw.  Why do adults always say stuff like that?"

"Because it's true.  Be patient.  You're still a bearling.  You have plenty of lessons to learn before you're as wise as I am."

Guessing Airborne was just about the smartest grasshopper he knew, Art nodded.  "See ya.  I’m going to go out into the freezing cold, without my favorite sweater, mind you, to see what trouble I can get into."

"Don't let Martha Bear® hear you say that trouble part."

Art grinned.  "I picked that one up from Uncle Teddy O™.  If Poodle can be like Martha Bear®, I can try and be like Teddy O™, my hero."

"Oh brother," Airborne replied, concerned Teddy O's rascally influence might over take the good in Art.  "You'd best behave," he warned, teasing, "And this is Florida in September.  It's up to 75 degrees today.  I think you'll survive without your sweater as long as you keep your full-fur-body-jacket on!"

"You're silly," Art told him and thrust a dismissing paw toward his friend.  "Hoppers!"

"Bears!" Airborne said back with a smile. 

"What about bears?" Jane Marie asked as she and Martha walked down the hall, past the china cabinet and dining table and into the kitchen to prepare an afternoon snack.  "Do you mean they are loveable and wonderful to pet and nuzzle and feed and cuddle and ..." 

"Sure, that's it," the hopper told her, knowing Jane Marie rarely saw the devilment in any bear, let alone in any critter, two legged, four legged, with feathers, hide or scales. 

Martha Bear® proudly straightened her spine at the compliment and reached out to give Jane Marie a big bear hug around her knees.  Jane Marie bent down and picked up her special bear to return the hug, human style.  "We're just one happy family, I have to say." 

"Indeed, we are." 

About that time, Button came racing into the long narrow kitchen with Poodle and Pickle following close behind.  Trying to jump up on the high counter where the jar of Critter Crunchies was kept, the small cat fell back to the floor.  

"Oh, my, oh, my, my!" exclaimed Poodle.  "Are you hurt, my little catling?" 

Rubbing her bottom where she'd landed, Button replied.  "I'm a brave kitty.  Really I am." 

"Yes, you are, Button baby," Jane Marie told her.  "I'm very pleased you were uninjured.  You could have been badly hurt."  

Martha patted Button gently on top of little her calico head.  "You mustn't get on the counter tops, dear.  Feet are not clean."   

Wanting to change the subject, Button looked over at Poodle and said, "You can't be like Martha Bear® because you have eyes."  Raising her glance up into Martha's wide bright bear face, and without malice, the catling asked, "Why don't you have eyes, Martha Bear®?  You look funny with no eyes." 

Mouths fell open, and eyes bulged at the potentially hurtful words spoken by the innocent feline. 

Martha, who was usually very chatty and had all the right answers most times, wasn't sure how to reply.  Instead, her cheeks began to flame.  No one had ever been so bold as to tell her she was anything less than lovely. 

Jane Marie jumped in.  "Button, Martha Bear® is beautiful.  She's just different.  You understand she sees with her heart, don't you." 

"No," Button answered.  "Are there eyes inside her heart?" 

"No, darling," Jane Marie explained.  "It's just that Martha, more than any other bear and or critter has a heart so full of love and caring, she doesn't need eyes.  Instead, she mentally sees what's around her and can accurately imagine it all inside her head." 

"Oh," said Button, adding, "but she still looks funny." 

Though realizing Button meant no unkindness, Martha's chin quivered beneath her reddened cheeks.  She weakly offered, "Excuse me," and walked as quickly as a rotund bear can walk to Jane Marie's room where she nestled in the back of the closet atop the shoes and slippers. 

"Oh, Button.  You hurt Martha Bear's feelings," Pickle told her.  "How could you?  She is never hateful to anyone.” 

Tears poured from Button's yellow eyes.  "I didn't hit Martha Bear®.  I didn't throw a stone at her.  I don’t know how I hurt her," the cat cried.  "You have to tell me!" 

Feeling that at any moment, all parties involved would be weeping, Jane Marie instructed, "Come everyone.  Let's let Martha Bear® be for a few minutes while we all go into the parlor and chat, shall we?" 

Sniffling, the bearlings and catling followed as Jane Marie carried the jar of Critter Crunchies to the parlor, knowing no one would concentrate on her words if their tummies were empty. 

"It's like this, kids," the author told them.  "Many years ago, I decided I wanted to sew a teddy bear.  I wanted to make her very special.  I wanted there to be no other like her in the whole world.  I thought it would be fun to have a large bear who would stand out from smaller bears so everyone would notice her wherever we went.  I gave her a flowerdy tummy along with an eyelet lace garter with delicate blue ribbons."  

Her audience listened closely, chewing their Crunchies as softly as possible in order to hear the story over each chomp.  

"I gave her a nose in the shape of a heart so all things would smell good to her, especially food."  Jane Marie smiled as she thought of her ever-hungry Martha climbing up onto one of the church pews that lined each side of the treat-filled dining table.   

"Finally, I added a heart shaped pin over the spot where her heart lies inside her chest, and she was complete and ready for me to love.  Little did I know she would become a major member of our family and a friend to all around the world.  By way of my stories about her adventures in beardom, there isn't a person or critter who doesn't like Martha Bear® the first time they meet her." 

"But where are her eyes.  Why doesn’t she have eyes?" asked Button. 

"Well ...”  Jane Marie wasn't quite sure herself.  "Her eyes would have been the last thing to add, but I just never did.  I think maybe it was because as Martha came together, I realized how special she was.  And since she was already talking to me, even before all her tail and foot seams were sewn, and we were discussing the décor of the house, the flowers outside in the garden visible through the window, the kitties, Bird, and everything else, I just sort of forgot about adding eyes." 

"Oh!" said Button. 

"I've always wondered, too, but I didn't want to ask," said Art who had walked in on the latter part of the discussion." 

"I, for one, think Martha Bear® is the most beautiful of all bears," said Airborne.
 

"We all do," said Pickle.  "And so do Teddy O™ and Wink E Bear, her boyfriends!" 

"Shh," Jane Marie hushed.  "We don't want to embarrass our Martha any more." 

"No ma'am," said Art.  "We need to do something special for her." 

"What would you like to do?" 

"We can make something to eat.  How about green apples dripping in honey?"  Poodle suggested. 

"She had that for a morning snack yesterday," Button said.  "How about we pick a bouquet of flowers?" 

"We could do that, but they don't last," Pickle said.  "We need something permanent, something Martha Bear® can keep forever.  It can be our secret gift to her, and it needs to be something that will be small enough for her to tote around if she wants to or to keep in a safe place.  We need to give her a treasure!" 

"What a grand idea!"  Jane Marie agreed.  "But what?" 

"You know she won't want us spending much money on her.  She is very frugal and likes us to be as well." 

"I guess that means no diamonds?" 

"Right, Art.  No diamonds, "confirmed Jane Marie.  "Hmm. If we can't get her diamonds, we can get her something glass, but that might break." 

"Not what I'm thinking of," said Airborne.  "At least it wouldn't break too easily.  It would have to be handled with care, but it would be everlasting, like love." 

"What is it, Hoppy?" asked Button, the most curious of the group because she was, after all, a cat. 

"I'm talking about a small glass stone, about the size of a penny." 

"What is she going to do with a plain glass stone?"  Button pressed. 

"It won't be plain," Airborne replied, "because you, Jane Marie, will paint it." 

"I will?" 

"What color are you going to paint the glass stone, Jane Marie?"  Pickle wanted to know. 

"I like purple," said Button. 

"Yes, purple is a good color, catling, yet can anyone think of something special Martha Bear® might like other than a solid color?  A picture of some sort, perhaps?" 

"A yellow happy face!  And Art can do the painting, so Jane Marie could make more critter crunchies," said a still hungry Poodle. 

"That's boring," said Art.  "Besides, I'm best at scribbling.  I like it when people see my work and can imagine it's a picture of whatever they want it to be." 

"Ah, very clever, son," approved Airborne.  "Now think, everyone.  What would be a pretty little something, as pretty as Martha Bear®, as sweet as her disposition and as colorful as her flowerdy tummy?" 

In unison they answered, "A rose!  A rose!" 

Art said, "Oh, yes.  I would be pleased to paint a rose for Martha Bear®.  I can use enamel paint made especially for glass and then bake it to make the flower stay on much more permanently." 

"What will we call it?"  Button asked. 

"Call it?"  Jane Marie asked back.

"Yes," said Pickle.  We need to call it something." 

Art contributed, "How about a ‘flowerdy stone’?" 

"It needs to have an enchanted name." 

"Ahhh," sighed all, liking the idea of enchantment. 

"What's a better word for stone?"  Airborne asked himself.  "Rock, pebble, nugget, ...” 

"Pebble!"  Jane Marie called out in excitement.  "Oh, sorry to interrupt, Airborne." 

"I feel your enthusiasm JM!  Does everyone agree ‘pebble’ is a good name?" 

"I do.”  “I do.”  “I do." 

"We need more of a name than just ‘pebble.’  What about ‘rose pebble,’" suggested Pickle. 

"Suppose Jane Marie wants to paint other flowers or pictures like a heart or moon with a star or a shamrock or a daisy face, for goodness sake," said a forward thinking Poodle. 

"You’re right, Pood," Pickle agreed. 

"If it's to be a secret between Martha Bear® and all of us," said Airborne, "our sort of secret apology, then how about we call it ..." 

"A ‘secret’ pebble!"   

"A Secret Pebble™ it is!  Now, let's go get Martha out of wherever she's hiding.  But don't say a word until I get the Secret Pebble™ painted.  Agreed?" 

"Agreed!" 

They all went into Jane Marie's bedroom to find the big white bear sitting on the braided rug in front of the full length mirror.  Before her was the quart-sized button jar nearly empty, its contents spilled out on the floor.  

Surprised her usually very neat bear would make such a mess, Jane Marie asked kindly, "What cha doing, Martha Bear®?" 

Martha was holding different sized buttons up to her face.  "Hmm?  Oh, I'm just trying on eyes." 

Anxious glances were passed from one critter to another, then, "Martha, dear.  You don't need to bother with that," Jane Marie told her calmly, but meaning it most sincerely.  "You are lovely without eyes.  Just the way I made you." 

"You're one of a kind, Martha dear," Airborne told her. 

"And your heart has 20/20 vision, Mama," Art assured.  "Sometimes I think you can see not only with your heart but with your feet and paws and tail as well.  You catch everything I do, good and bad." 

"I do?"  

"Yes, ma'am." 

"And the way you can spot the tiniest speck of dust, why … " 

The rest of the week went that way as they gradually redeemed Martha Bear's confidence in her special gift of sight.   

Handkerchiefs were passed out as the time came to present Martha Bear® with the very first Secret Pebble™ ever crafted.  As Martha clutched the tiny round object to her heart, the hankies grew damp with sentiment.  "And to think you've dedicated this beautiful yellow and white rose Secret Pebble™ to me!" 

Order Martha Bear's Yellow Roser Secret Pebble™ shown larger than actual size

"Who better?" Art asked.  

"It's our way to honor you," Jane Marie explained honestly.  "And remember, the secret in the pebble is what the giver or in our case, givers, share with the recipient.  And what we share with you is a past, present and future of family fun and love.  Thank you, Martha Bear®, for being you." 

Airborne winked at Art.  Art winked back, understanding that this was just what the hopper meant about love being the greatest goal.  

And that's how the Secret Pebble™ came to be in Jane Marie's world.       

The End

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