The dew was slowly distilling on the grass as the sun shimmered through the oak tress outside the Paws' home. All was still and serene but not so within! It was Sunday which was a special and sacred day for the bears and we join Mama Paws in Puff's bedroom trying her utmost to spruce up her siblings before church. Puff sighed constantly and heavily as Mama took all sorts of elegant and uncomfortable clothes out of an antique chest of drawers. Flowery frocks, plain pinafores, flouncy frills and lots of hard lace. Puff watched warily as her Mama laid her chosen outfit on the bed.

'I'm definitely not wearing that rubbish,' screamed Puff. 'The material is far too hard and starchy. The lace tickles my neck and the elastic hurts 'cos it's far too tight on my tummy.' and on and on she moaned. 'I don't even want to go to church today,' she continued as her temper built up to boiling point.

Papa Paws had heard the commotion and came up the stairs eating his hot buttered toast. He peeped in and by now she was in a right old tantrum and was actually shaking as she stated, 'Who cares if I go or not? All I do is count the ceiling tiles and the organ tubes and add up the numbers on the hymn board! I'm not going today. You tell Papa for me.'

Puff hadn't realised that he was peeping in the door until he angrily said, 'Tell Papa what?' and Puff almost jumped out of her fur in fright.

Papa Paws wasn't amused in the slightest and she could see that from the furrows of the frowns on his forehead, but he sat down beside her and instead of giving her a lecture, he told her a story. Puff loved stories.

'This story goes back well over four hundred years,' he said.'It's about a family who lived in the south of Germany and the family was very rich. There were four daughters and their father was a nobleman. As he grew older, he wondered what he could do to help the people of his village. The little church there in the village was very old and a new one was badly needed. So what do you think he decided to do?'

'Why, build a beautiful new church,' stated Puff with certainty.

'Yes, and through time the work started and the rich man and his four daughters watched as the stones were placed in position. When the stone work was completed and the four walls were built, they needed to put something on top to keep the rain out.

'A roof,' shouted Puff before she was even asked.

'Eactly. And when the roof was securely in place, the workmen started on the church's furnishings. They made pews - what are pews for Puff dearest?'

'Um...I know that one. They are those desperately uncomfortable benches you have to balance your bottom on!'

'Fine,' continued old Papa Paws, hesitant about asking any further questions. So he just told her that they also put in a pulpit and stain-glass windows and they put a bell in the belfry to call the people from near and far to worship.

'Then one day when all of the work was finished, the rich man and his four daughters stood and admired the building. But his eldest daughter suddenly saw a problem and she said to her father, (Papa paws raised his voice as high as he could to sound girlish) 'Father, what about some lights? The church in the evening will be dark without lights.'

'But her father said, "Every person coming to church will bring his or her own light. They will come carrying a candle or a torch."

'Then his daughter asked him, ( and Papa Paws cleared his throat) " But father, what if a person fails to bring a light or fails to come to church for that matter?"

"Then some part of God's House will be dark and empty," he replied.

'And so it was, Puff. Over the entrance was carved the sentence " Some corner of God's House will be dark if everyone does not come to worship God." Long years have passed since then but the same custom has been handed down from parents to children and to their children until even today when the bell rings on Sunday evenings all the village people go to church. Each person carries his own light and the church is always full because no-one wants his corner to be dark.' Papa paws had lowered his voice almost to a whisper and Puff was silenced. She had changed her attitude completely. Just as a caterpillar becomes a beautiful butterfly, so Puff had mellowed dramatically and transformed into a cuddly cub. In fact, now she was impatient to go to church, and as she squeezed into her dress, she sang to herself a song she had learned.'Jesus bids us shine with a pure clear light. Like a little candle burning in the night. In this world of darkness so we must shine. You in your small corner and I in mine.'