The miracle that is the bear

Faith & Inspiration

By Charles Towne

I closed my eyes for a few moments, must have dozed off. When I opened my eyes, a 200-pound female bear was standing in the creek about 15 feet from me. She just stood there gazing off into the swamp with her back towards me.

It is a wonderful thing to be accepted by the bears, yes; accepted and at times ignored. She left as quietly as she came. Any sound she makes is far below my ability to hear.

Such an incredible creature is my friend the bear.

There is little that the bear misses. Her hearing is as keen as our own. And despite the belief that a bear's eyesight is poor, we now know that she is blessed with exemplary sight and able to discern color.

But where she really excels is in her marvelous sense of smell. To give you a little idea of just how wonderful her sense of smell is let me illustrate with a story.

One day a pine needle fell to the forest floor. An eagle, flying high in the sky, saw the pine needle fall, for there is not much that escapes the wonderful sight of the eagle.

A rabbit, out for a stroll, heard the pine needle fall, for there is little that fails to reach the ears of the rabbit.

But, way over there on the other side of the forest, a grandfather bear was dozing when the pine needle fell. He lazily opened his eyes, sniffed, and said to his wife, “Hmm, a pine needle just fell on the other side of the forest.” His wife said, “Yes dear, and did you smell the pine needle fall on the little baby mouse that was napping on the forest floor?”

Just imagine, if our merciful God gave these wonderful senses to the wild creatures,

how much more has He provided for you and me?

"Papa God, we thank you for your great love and mercy that you have blessed all of your creation. I wonder, could it possibly be that the greatest gift we can bless our children with is a great love, not just for others like us, but for all living creatures? Let us instill in the young a sense of awe, wonder, and respect for all life, for if we can show concern for even the smallest moth then surely we will respect one another even more. Praise you O' Holy friend, praise you. Amen."

Charles Towne is first and foremost a Christian. An octogenarian, author, journalist, wildlife photographer, naturalist, caregiver, and survivor, his life has been and continues to be, a never-ending adventure filled with possibilities never imagined. He has adopted the philosophy that to Live fully, laugh uproariously, love passionately, and learn like there is no tomorrow, is a formula for a long and joy-filled life.