Cast of characters

Bea- mom bear to puppies & Scruffles Part 1&2

Sweet Puppy- from Part 1&2 invited by Bea to live in cave (RIP)

Scruffles- from Part 1&2 invited by Bea to live in cave (RIP)

Doolie-mom bear to puppies from Part 2 (RIP)

Benny-miniature sheep dog from Part 2 (RIP)

Annie-Brussels Griffon from Part 2 (RIP)

Maddie- 3-legged Brussels Griffon from Part 2 (RIP)

Buddy bear- friend of Doolie & Bea who worked with troubled puppies

Zoe- Tibetan Terrier from Part 2 Like a foster kid who gets moved around a lot (RIP)

She lived with Doolie & her crew, then Bea & Sweet Puppy,

& finally to live with Buddy bear & her puppy Stormy

Stormy- lived with Buddy bear (RIP)

Willow- counseling tree (metaphor for people who help children) Part 1&2
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Previously:
Bea feels called by the maker to trudge her way down an intimidating embankment. She wonders what lies ahead.
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Just thinking about trying to get down the rocky embankment made her fears grow. Then she remembered what Willow said about trying. Bea laughed a little to think Willow had used climbing up a bank as an example about trying. Ironically, she was climbing down a hill.

Bea wondered if what Willow had said in her talk about going up a hill would work for going down. Her traumatic situation of the time she shinnied up a tall tree to get Timothy some delicious, tender twigs flashed back. Going up was okay as long as she did not look down, but going back down was terrifying.

In telling Willow about it, Bea was helped to realize she was able to safely descend the tree because it was accomplished step by step. If she changed her approach about trying to do something, she would succeed.

She had pointed out to Bea the only results from trying are succeed or fail. But working at something step-by-step guarantees success every time. When Bea asked the wise tree her usual "what if's," she was reminded it was one of her favorite series of questions.

Bea laughed because she had to admit Willow knew her too well. She paused and asked her question about this hill Willow was discussing. She worried what if she slid back down part of it, while working to make it up to the top.

It was Willow's turn to ask the questions. She really got Bea to do her brain exercise when she asked her what would she have learned just before slipping back down the hill she was climbing.

After looking upward and tapping her paw to her head she knew the answer was she'd know where not to put her paws, claws and feet. Willow praised her for learning so quickly, the next time she would know to put her feet, paws and claws in a different spot.

She encouraged the wee learner that was the way she would make it up the hill, even if she repeatedly slid back down. Eventually arriving there would bring on a glorious feeling of success.

Bea decided way back then to practice a new exercise she would call "little by little." As she glanced down over the bridge she had been standing on, she knew it was time to practice her little by little exercise.

The fifty bees began buzzing inside her as her fears grew even greater. Talking to the maker of steep banks, she still did not know why the maker wanted her to go down that scary bank.

Something strange happened she just did not understand. The fifty bees were replaced by sweet humming bees. These were kind that made her "be good to myself" treat. She sure could use some of that golden sweetness right then.

But she knew the shelves and shelves of honey-filled clay pots were back in her cave home, a place she greatly longed for. She was farther away from home than she'd ever been alone, in severely unknown territory. Even her newfound friend had disappeared. She only danced around her when the golden globe in the sky was smiling on her.

The gentle humming usually meant things would be okay, however, she could see no possibility of that. As she hesitantly shuffled closer to the edge, she did her investigation exercise and doing her notice exercise, she saw it had a nice level dirt path she could quite easily walk down step by step, little by little.

As usual, all the fuss was for nothing, but she still saw no reason for the maker to lead her in this direction, down a steep path. Doing her notice exercise, she saw it before reaching the yellowed grass at the bottom of the path and had no idea what it meant or who made it.

She was so mesmerized by the strange sight she couldn't even do her brain exercise enough to be able to begin her investigation exercise. A sizzing sound startled her as she stood there staring across the river.

She heard a tiny voice say something like, didn't she think it was a nice likeness. First of all, she couldn't see anyone, besides she believed herself to be alone with this magnificent mystery.

She checked for her friend, wondering if she had said it. Her friend slowly appeared as the golden globe gave more light for Bea to see her. She asked her hide and seek companion if she had said anything?

There was silence as expected, but the voice asked her why she was talking to herself. The voice claimed, it was the one that spoke to her. Getting nowhere with this puzzle, Bea tipped her head back and looked up toward the bridge, her last location previous to tiptoeing down the path leading to where she stood.

The voice corrected her by telling her, it was not up there on the bridge, it was down beneath the bridge with her. She sarcastically thought how great it was she was not alone anymore. Her new companion was a tiny, invisible voice.