Bear Hunts

We're going on a bear hunt.
We're going to catch a big one.
What a beautiful day!
We're not scared.

My mom is fantastic and as a fantastic mother she read us a lot of books and even as I've grown older they have come to hold a special place in my heart.

I have a dear friend who is going through a hard time. I was telling my mom about a discussion I had with this friend and my mom simply said, "can't go over it. Can't go under it. You've got to go through it." These wise words come from one of my most memorable children's book, We're Going On a Bear Hunt. In this story a family decides to go on a bear hunt. With confidence and smiles on their faces they leave home and go through the wilderness searching for this big bear. They face challenges like hills covered in tall grass, rivers, woods, deep mud, and even a snowstorm. With every "trial" they respond with, "we can't go over it. We can't go under it...We've got to go through it!" As a child I would have never made a deeper connection; the story was just an adventure of words with such a rhythm that excited our imagination. But it's true, life seems wonderful and we are excited to take it on and then the next moment when we stubble across a small hill that seems challenging, but we accept the challenge knowing all is well. Later on we turn a corner and there before us is a river and we know we must cross it. Sooner or later we come upon snowstorms and dark, lonely woods and all of that determination and confidence is challenged again. Honestly there is only one option, we have to go through it, the difference in whether we succeed or not is based on our attitude. Will we trudge through the forest with our eyes darting at every noise or will we observe our surroundings and use it for our advantage and maybe pick a flower or two on the way?

So...

We're going on a bear hunt.
We're going to catch a big one.
What a beautiful day!
We're not scared.