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O   N   L   I   N   E         P   O   R   T   F   O   L   I   O

BELIEVING IS SEEING

by Angel Gail Konz

Designed & Illustrated by

Scott Fray

             Long ago and far away a very special child lived very deep in the forest. Her name was Me. So deep in  the forest did she live that even the animals had a hard time finding her. Do you know what? she talked all day. None of the animals could figure out who she was talking to. Each morning the little deer of the forest would take turns observing her from their hiding places. Sometimes it seemed that Me was talking to the trees, and other times it seemed as if she was having a conversation with the flowers. Not to mention the times that Me just talked to the air, or so it seemed.

Well, try as they may, the little deer could not figure Me out. The bears were sure they could find out who Me talked to all day. Big Bear spent a lot of time preparing a place that Me would not notice. Bears are not as easy to camouflage as deer. After a lot of work Big Bear was finally ready. He watched as Me started to wake up one morning. Me always slept out in the open. She never went to a place that would offer her shelter. Slowly she began to move, opening one eye and then the other, with a big smile on her face. Big bear was close enough to hear her say something. He listened very closely afraid if he moved he would frighten Me and then he would not be able to find out what she was saying. Big Bear was getting very stiff from being still so long, and a big black fly had decided to buzz around his nose.

"Good morning, Mr. Bear," said Me without looking in his direction. Big Bear didnt know what to do. Maybe he just imagined that Me had said good morning to him. He didnt move.

"Why wont you talk to me, Mr. Bear?" Now Me was looking directly at Big Bear.

"She might be just trying to trick me, but I really do want to talk to her," thought Big Bear.

"I didnt want to frighten you away," said Big Bear.

"Im not afraid of anything," said Me.

"Its hard to believe a little girl like you is not

afraid of anything," said Big Bear.

"Dont you have any friends to protect you? asked Me

"Yes," answered Big Bear, "but they are not here now. When I am alone I am always much more careful."

"I can see your friends," said Me. "Why cant you see them?

"I cant see my friends because they are not here," said Big Bear with a big frown on his face. Bear didnt like being told something that was not true. Me could not understand why Big Bear was unable to see all his little friends around him.

"If you can see my friends around me," said Bear, "then you can tell me what they look like."

"Of course I can," said Me. "The biggest friend has dark brown fur and he is two times as big as you. He says that he helps you find food when you are hungry. There is one quite small. Her name is Angel and she says she hugs you when you are sleeping. Another one looks like a soldier and is protecting you from hunters. Do you want me to tell you about any more of your friends, Bear? asked Me.

"It seems to me that you really do see my friends, but how can you see them when I cant?" said Big Bear.

"When you were a very small Bear, you were told that your dreams were just make believe, and you believed that. Your friends were always talking and playing with you when you first came to this world. Pretty soon you started to believe all the things that the world was teaching you. Things like dreams dont come true and you must be imagining that there are Angels and special friends around you. Its been so long since the big people in the world had little friends that they have forgotten. So you have forgotten too."

"What is your name, Bear?"

"My name is Big Bear and I am very strong and brave," was Bears answer.

"My name is Me," said the little girl, "and it sounds like you are a little bit afraid right now. Would you like to see your friends again, the ones you dont see now?

"Yes," said Big Bear, "I would like that very much." Deep down inside himself Bear was sure that Me was going to play a trick on him, but he wanted to wait and see. The other bears couldnt be too far away, and if he needed help he could just roar.

"All you have to do is believe that you  can see them and tell all the little Angels and friends how happy you are that they are always around you," said Me. "Close your eyes. Now forget about all the things in your mind that would say that doing this is impossible. Do you know, Big Bear, that there is absolutely nothing that is impossible? All you have to do is believe and it will come true. Sometimes it takes  a little longer than you think it should, but just keep believing. Soon you will see that there are many special friends all around and everyone wants to help you in some way or another. Sometimes you wont let people help because you think you always have to be the bravest one, because you are abear. It doesnt matter if you are a bear,  aperson, a flower, or a tree. There is no difference. Our great Creator didnt make anyone or anything to be better than someone or something else. Each mother and father, and sister and brother, and grandmother and grandfather, as well as every bug or flower or tree or star or breath of air, is as important as the other. Everything is created to work with everything else to make it work just right. When a person or an animal or a tree starts thinking it is better, its like a sour note in a beautiful song. Thats not the way  it was created  to be.

"One day Mother and Father left me home and went to the store. Later, an Angel came to visit me. She told me that Mother and Father were not coming home because they were in an accident. My Angel explained to me that they were now in the invisible world and that as long as I believed I would be able to see them.  I see them often. "My Angel took me deep into the forest and told me I would have all that I would ever need. When I first came to the forest I was very sad and frightened. All of the little animals and all of the trees and flowers, along with all kinds of little critters worked very hard to cheer me up. Slowly I became accustomed to my new home. It was wonderful to see so much beauty all around me. There are many beautiful things here that I would never have seen if I hadnt been so sad. Being sad made me look very hard for things to make me happy. When everything is fine we miss some of the most beautiful things around us.

"How do you know so much?" asked Big Bear.

"Once I lived in a house with my mother and father," replied Me, "we were all very happy. My mother and I always talked to what mother called our invisible friends. I asked her what invisible was, and she said, that means you cant see them. Mother explained to me that I had not stopped believing so they were all still visible to me. Sometimes Mother could see them also. Even when she couldnt see them with her eyes, she said she could see them inside her head. When Mother was a very little girl she could see. Then when she started to talk, mother was told that she was getting too old to believe in things she couldnt see. Pretty soon she began to believe what she was being told and her little friends were harder and harder to see.

"Mother always knew that her friends hadnt really left her. One day Grandmother told her if she believed she could see them that she would be able to see them again. For days she tried and finally gave up. Grandmother told her to try some more. She did. Pretty soon she began to see them again. Not all of the time, because sometimes she was just imagining that she could see them. Whenever Mother doubted she would have a hard time seeing again. When I was brought into this world, Mother always talked to all of my friends and told me that the world didnt always believe that one could see the invisible, but as long as I believed I could, I would be able to see the invisible.

"Each day I would meet a new someone. My best friend was a flower. Her name was Trillium. She had to go away until next year, but before she left, Trillium promised me there would be so many beautiful flowers in the forest that I wouldnt be able to meet them all. For days after she left I ran around from morning to night trying to meet all the flowers. Trillium was right. There are far too many flowers for me to meet. I was so busy meeting flowers that I forgot to be sad. Being so busy made me forget my sadness. "Come with me Big Bear" said Me, "I want you to meet my flower friends, they are all so beautiful and kind." Me took Big Bear by the paw and they walked deeper into the forest to visit Mes friends.

After a long time Bear said, "My goodness, Me, I never knew there were so many flowers." They had gone to places in the forest where Big Bear had never been. He rubbed his sore paws and was sure that they had walked ten miles. Just then Bear realized that the sun was setting in the West. He had spent the whole day with his new friend Me. "Time to go home before I get into trouble," he thought. Mother Bear would be worried about him. So he said good-bye to Me and off he went. When Bear arrived home he was so excited about his new friend he could hardly eat his dinner. Mother Bear knew something must have happened to her son, because she had fixed one of his favorite dinners. Lots of fresh vegetables that she had found growing in the forest, with wild blue berries for dessert.

"Do you believe in things that you cannot see?" asked Big Bear.

"Well," said Mother Bear, "I do believe that there are a lot of Angels and special friends around all of us, but I cant see them. When I was little, I was sure that I could see them, but when I would mention this to any of the other bears they would laugh at me, so I stopped thinking about them. Sometimes if I am very tired or worried about something, it seems to me that I almost see them again."

"Why didnt you ever tell me about them? Maybe I could have seen them too," said Big Bear.

"You did see them. When you were younger you told me about a friend you met one day when you had gotten lost in the forest, and how he helped you find your way home. Dont you remember that?" asked Mother Bear.

"Oh, Mother, I do remember that day! I was crying because it was getting so dark and I didnt know how to get home. All of a sudden I saw a soldier on the path and he told me which way to take through the forest to get back home. I remember when I turned around to thank him he was gone.

"Now I understand why. I believed that I would find my way home, and even though I was getting scared, I still kept believing. Me said that if I just keep believing, that  I would be able to see. Wait until I tell her." Big Bear was so excited about remembering his friend the soldier, that he forgot he had not told his mother about his new friend, Me.

"Who is Me?" asked Mother Bear?

"Well," said Big Bear, "today when I was deep in the forest, I decided I would try to figure out this funny person that I had seen in the forest. She was always talking, and I could never see anyone around her. So I asked her who she was talking to. She told me she was talking to her invisible friends. I didnt know if I believed her, but now I know it is true.

"Mother, will you come with me tomorrow to meet Me?" asked Big Bear.

"Of course I will," said Mother Bear. I think its a good idea. Do you think she will be afraid if I come with you?"

"Oh no, Mother," said Big Bear. She told me that she is not afraid of anything; her invisible friends are always with her taking care of her."

After Big Bear left to go home, Me was so excited that she  didnt realize she had wandered into an area of  the forest that was new to her. As Me walked along she heard some very strange and different music. Where could it be coming from? Me stood still and listened. Maybe it was coming from that big grove of pines just ahead of her. Slowly and carefully she walked along the path toward the pines. The trees were so big and tall that it was very dark. Me had a hard time seeing, and she was very hungry. At the side of the path she saw some beautiful wild strawberries growing. They looked delicious. She picked some. How wonderful they tasted.

Where was the music coming from? Soon she came to a large clearing with a beautiful deep blue-green pond. Me could see fish and frogs swimming around the pond. One very large frog was sitting on a great big lily pad in the middle of the pond. The music seemed to be getting louder and louder. Suddenly Me realized that the sound was coming from the water. That seemed impossible, but Me knew that everything is possible. "Maybe Ill just sit down for awhile," thought Me. She was feeling very sleepy. As Me began to drift off to sleep she felt the ground underneath her open up. The music kept getting louder. "Those strawberries made me sleepy. Whats happening? Why cant I move?"

"Welcome." said a strange voice.

 Me opened her eyes, but all she could see were some very strange looking creatures. Their faces looked human, but their heads were so big that Me thought they might fall over if they stood up. When they talked to her it sounded like a vibration. Me wasnt sure if they were even really talking to her.

"I dont know where I am," said Me, "

"You have come to the place of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. We are within the Earth. Our job is to keep human beings from destroying the planet. When humans war, we sing and create peace. When there is confusion on the Earth we sing and make clarity. When there is great hunger on Earth we sing and make food.

"We are the inner people. You are one of the outer people. We sing to you today because we need you to take a message to the outer people.

"Please tell them that the inner and the outer people must become one. For we can help each other. You make fire, we make rain. You become empty, we fill. These are only a few of the things we do, but we know that you understand what we mean. Please go back to your outer world and tell all you meet to sing. Teach them the sound of song. The song that sounds of the inner and outer people. A joyous, happy song of hope and love and understanding. We will sing to you now and you will be able to sing with us, for you believe. All those who believe will help you to teach others to sing the song."

Me had never heard such a beautiful song before. When she began to look around at the inner people that had gathered to sing, she saw so much Light around these people that she could not tell how many were there. When the song was over, one of the inner people came very close to her. Me could not tell if it was a boy or girl, so she asked.

"We are both male and female. We are the inner beings of all outer beings. We cannot re-enter into the outer beings until we hear the song. Please go and teach the song to all the outer people so that we can again become one. When this happens all will believe and be able to see as you do, little one." Very gently the inner being picked Me up and began to walk into a very dark cave.

It was quite dark when Me woke up.  She was sitting under a tree, next to the beautiful pond. "I must have been dreaming," thought Me. All of a sudden Me heard the song again. This time louder than before. It wasnt a dream. Me was very sure of that. When the inner being had put her under the tree, it had lovingly placed a warm cover of leaves over her. She was so comfortable she didnt want to move, so she spent the rest of the night right where she was.

The sun came up and warmed Mes face. As she awoke she heard the beautiful song. She wondered if she would ever stop hearing the song. Well, there was no time to waste. Off she went to gather her friends. Big Bear and Mother Bear were waiting for Me when she arrived home.

"What a nice surprise, said Me. Why have you come to visit me?"

"I told my mother all about you, and asked her if she would come to meet you, so here we are," said Big Bear. "I am so excited, Me. Mother and I were talking about your invisible friends and I remembered seeing one of my invisible friends once when I was lost. Mother has also seen her invisible friends." Me was just as excited as Big Bear. Her excitement was about the song she was to sing to all the outer beings. So Me began to tell Big Bear and Mother Bear about meeting the inner people and the beautiful song they had taught her.

Mother Bear said, "Me, please let me help you. I will gather all of my friends of the forest." Big Bear knew that Me must be very special, because he could see that Mother Bear really liked her. When Mother Bear liked something or somebody, that was really good. So Big Bear went with his mother to help call all the friends of the forest together to hear Mes song.

When Me began to teach the song, Big Bear and Mother Bear were right in the front row along with Rabbit, Frog, Beaver, Opossum, Little Fox, and all their relations. The flowers and trees that created the space for the song began singing just as loudly as everyone else. It wasnt long before the song was so loud that many outer beings who were on a picnic or hike began to sing the song. When others heard them singing, they too began to sing the song.

As time went on, Me sang louder and louder, and all of her          

friends sang louder. Eagle reported to Me  that  he was hearing the song in other parts of the world. The birds were hearing the song all over the world.  Me knew that the inner beings and the outer beings were beginning to come together, and this was helping the inner and outer Earth come together. Because Me had continued to sing the song and teach others to sing the song, all her little friends began to see, just as she could see. It was so much easier to believe when everyone was singing. Me was very sure that everyone would be able to see very soon, and that the whole Earth would believe. Me was very happy!

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     Angel Gail Konz is a mother and grandmother. She lives in a log cabin in Michigan and teaches classes in awakening the intuitive consciousness, healing and wholeness, and classes for parents who are committed to teaching their children that believing is seeing. This is her first book, and it is wonderful for people of all ages, cultures and beliefs. For more information, write to her at 1202 Waterside Lane, Brighton, MI 48116.

      Scott Fray is an illustrator and designer. He has created art for many publications, CD-ROM titles and CD's.

      Believing is Seeing is Scott's first book just for children. He enjoyed incorporating a potpourri of  lively illustration styles and hopes it makes your reading experience more fun.

E-Mail to Scott Fray

Scott Fray, P.O.Box 2293, Reidsville, NC, 27323   336-634-0108 

© 1996 - 2002 Scott Fray. All rights reserved.