Meeting Norman

It was a wild and windy night. The tree overhead was in a frantic dance and it’s leaves and branches moved with abandonment. Beneath this tree was a little tiger. His name was Norman. Being a very shy sort of tiger he was trying desperately to find his braveness that was somewhere inside him. In fact, he was sure of it. At the moment Norman's braveness was hiding. He peeked out into the uproar that the wind was making and squeezed himself closer to the ground. This night seemed never to end and poor Norman was alone. He thought,”Is there no one there that can help me”? 

Across the yard was Lizzie. She was a sweet bear that could sense that someone was about. She struggled to her paws and squinted against the wind trying with all her might to see who needed help. There he was! It was a little tiger and he looked so scared.  Lizzie pushed her way onto her paws and thought for a second… “Perhaps this is not the best idea, mingling with a tiger. She decided to take a chance and bravely went to help. When she got to the side of the forlorn tiger, she reached toward Norman who looked up fearfully into Lizzie’s kind and anxious eyes. He decided to trust her. He streched out his little paws so Lizzie could pull him to safety.

“What’s your name,” she yelled through the noisy wind.

“Norman,” he hollered back, as she pulled him along.

His feet were hesitant and he trembled as the wind pushed him about. Norman shouted,

“We should go back!”

Lizzie pulled him closer so she could speak directly into his ear.

“I’m taking you to Mrs, Crow. You will be safe with her, I promise.”

Norman could only trust this little but determined bear. He squinted his eyes against the strong wind to find that he was being led to a shelter.The wind began to lighten and a ladder appeared in front of him,”

Climb! “ Lizzie urged and Norman did.

He hoped he was not getting into more trouble than he was already in. When he reached the top he could see a woman who smiled the kindest, brightest smile he had ever seen. She reached out to him and Norman was home.

“Who is this?” she asked Lizzie and Lizzie nudged Norman closer and introduced her new friend.

“This is Norman, and he had nowhere to go. “

Mrs Crow looked thoughtfully at Norman and said,

”You have sumpthin my little friend. I don’t know what it is, but I see it.”

Norman felt a warmth that filled him all the way from the top of his head to the ends of his toes. This lady could see him. Not a scared little tiger but someone who could be, just a little braver.

“If you want to stay here you may,” Mrs Crow told him.”There is always room for someone new. I wonder what exciting thing you will show us?”

Norman was worried. He wasn’t exciting and he certainly wasn’t able to show anyone anything new. He told her,

”I’m not a very exciting tiger.” At his confession, Mrs Crow smiled into his heart again.

“You don’t know yet what you will contribute, but you will. I have the utmost confidence in you.”

At that, Lizzie showed him a place to rest. Norman cuddled in the warmth of the crows nest completely out of the bad weather. He closed his eyes and slept soundly until the next morning

When the sun rose he watched Mrs Crow, He wondered what she was doing as she cupped her hands and blew something that contained so many colors and was so bright that he could barely watch. The colors lifted and swirled high above them. It hovered for a moment until Mrs. Crow waved her elegant hands to shoo it off into the world. Norman crept closer. When Mrs Crow turned he whispered,

”what was that?”

She hugged him close and told him.

”I sent kindness into the sky. I don’t know where it will land but I always hope that it will find even just one someone.”

Norman wasn’t so sure but he thought, well, the bear Lizzie was very kind and of course so was Mrs. Crow. He too was feeling the glow of kindness. The kind that grows so fast it spills out and grows some more. This was good, but he couldn’t hold all of that kindness if he wasn’t strong.

“Wait,” he thought.

He was a tiger and tigers were strong. He could do it! That is what he could bring to the nest! He muscled up next to Mrs Crow and lifted the heaviest load of kindness. He pushed it up and let it spill from the crow’s nest and out into the world below. It didn’t seem possible but he himself felt lifted. He was determined to do more.

When Lizzie came to see him she found a very tired tiger.

“You should finish for the day. Tomorrow will be here soon enough to start again.”

She put her arm around the tiger and led him to his sleeping place. She settled next to him and stayed as he drifted off to sleep.

Norman was murmuring,”I was kind. I was strong.  I was sumpthin.”

Lizzie heard his words and couldn’t wait to tell Mrs. Crow the three things that Norman talked about.

The next day, Mrs. Crow spoke to Norman, ”I heard that you did three very important things yesterday.“

Norman stood a little straighter and said.”I did! I was kind,I was strong, and I was Sumpthin!”

Mrs Crow made a decision right then and there,”I think when we meet with the children you should always share those three things.”

With a nod of his head he agreed,”I can do that if that will help.”

Lizzie clapped her paws with delight! ”I knew you could live here, I knew we would be friends and I knew you would belong.”

With a thoughtful smile Mrs. Crow told the new companions,”Of course Norman belongs, he always did.”