When I was young my dad would take me by the hand in the early evening of a summer night. We walked down the path to the rose garden, which was close to a wee pond. We sat quietly on a bench and listened. Sure enough, when the sunset was turning to night, the frog song began. The sweet summer smells of the garden and the melody of the frog chorus was magical for my young self. This story is in gratitude for those wonderful evenings.
Frog and Rose
Down in the garden next to the ancient, beautiful climbing rose bush lived a tiny tree frog. He made his home in the sturdy trunk of a very old, very tall, and very wide rose bush. It was more like a rose castle it was so grand. How lucky he was to live among the roses whose fragrance filled summer with joy and hopefulness.
The rose bud babies could not understand tiny green tree frog. He did not have a lovely smell like they did, his was more earth and moss and bog! Whatever was he doing living in their rose castle?
One evening Mother Rose was trying to settle her bud babies but they would not fall asleep! They wiggled and giggled and swayed this way and that!
‘My children,’ she said, good heavens! You need to sleep so you can grow and grow and open wide your petals. That is when your sweet smells fill the air. This is what roses do for the world!’
The bud babies did not listen, they laughed and only wanted to play.
Little tree frog watched as Mother Rose tried and tried to quiet them.
‘I will sing to them’, little frog said to himself. He started to sing his sweet froggy song, ever so quietly, like a lullabye.
‘A ribbit, a ribbit, tis time for bed, a ribbit, a ribbit, do rest your heads. Little buds rest, so blessed
a ribbit a ribbit a roo.’
One by one, each little rose bud baby closed their eyes, snuggled close in their petal blankets and fell asleep. All was quiet, all was quiet.
Mother Rose was amazed! ‘Thank you little tree frog, you may not smell as sweet as we do but your song sends peace and love to all who hear it. ‘We make good neighbors don’t we’.
Little frog smiled a big smile and sang some more into the night.
‘A aribbit, a ribbit, tis time for bed, a ribbit, a ribbit, do rest your heads. Little buds rest, so blessed
a ribbit a ribbit a roo.’
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