The Real Charlie Bear

May 4, 1965

One day little Charlie Bear ran out to the yard where papa Charlie was raking leaves and said, “Papa, can we take a trip today?”

Papa leaned on his rake and asked, “Where do you want to go?”

“Let’s go over to the Holy Land and see what is happening,” suggested little Charlie.

“All right. That trip is always interesting,” replied papa Charlie. “Get our traveling caps and I’ll meet you on the front porch in ten minutes — just as soon as I finish raking the leaves from this flower bed.”

Little Charlie ran into the house and found his traveling cap right where he had put it after the last trip but he couldn’t find his papa’s cap. He looked and looked. Finally, he found it right where papa Charlie had left it — tucked in a corner of his favorite chair.

When little Charlie and Papa Bear met on the front porch, they put on their caps, whirled around three times, turned a somersault and there they were — on a hillside by the Sea of Galilee.

The hill was crowded with people who were listening to a man talk.

“Is that man Jesus?” asked little Charlie.

“Yes,” said Papa Bear. “Let’s listen to Him.”

Little Charlie and Papa Charlie sat down with the others. These people had been listening to Jesus for a long time and were getting hungry. They didn’t want to go home to eat because then they would not hear what Jesus was saying.

Jesus knew that the people were hungry. He saw a boy with a basket filled with five loaves of bread and two fishes. He asked him, “Will you share your bread and fishes with us?”

The little boy said, “Sure. Is there enough?”

Jesus said, “Let’s see.”

He took the food in His hands, asked for God’s blessing and then broke the bread and fishes into pieces. He put the food into twelve baskets and asked His twelve disciples to take them around to the five thousand people that were on the hill.

Even though the people took what they needed from the baskets, there still was some left over.

Little Charlie saw that the baskets didn’t get empty and asked Papa Charlie, “Why is there food for everyone when Jesus started with only five loaves of bread and two fishes?”

Papa Bear told little Charlie, “It’s a miracle. Only God can do it. He really is the Son of God.”

It was getting dark and time for little Charlie to go to bed. Papa Charlie said, “Let’s put on our traveling caps and go home. It’s bedtime for my little Charlie.”

When their traveling caps were on, they whirled around three times, turned a somersault and there they were on their front porch just as Mama Bear was starting to call for her little Charlie.

Little Charlie told his mother that he didn’t need any supper.

“I don’t need any supper,” said little Charlie. “I ate some bread and fish.”

After both Papa Bear and little Charlie had told Mama Bear what had happened, little Charlie went to bed with a happy smile on his face. He knew Jesus was God’s Son.