‘ All my stuff is unpacked Mama’ stated Puff with some sort of urgency. The simple truth was that she just couldn’t wait to get onto the beach and explore. Why hang around in a hotel room longer that you have to ? That was Puff’s philosophy.

‘ Puff dearest, unpacking means more than unzipping your case and tipping out the contents into a drawer. You need to hang your clothes up properly.’

‘ Oh Mama! It’s only T-shirts and shorts and a few ugly dresses!!’

When the task was properly done, the Paws pact set off laden with buckets and spades, suncream, sunglasses, armbands, snorkel, goggles and towels, to explore the beach.

‘ ‘I hope we haven’t forgotten anything’ said Mama, as if they were about to hike the Sahara desert instead of walking down a few steps in front of the hotel.

The brochure was indeed right in what it said - a magnificent stretch of golden sand sheltered by ochre cliffs. It was only 10 AM in the morning and yet the sand was warm on their paws. The sun was reigning unchallenged in the sky - not a cloud was to be seen anywhere. There was also a welcome breeze which prevented the situation from becoming too hot and sticky.

Puff reported that she was going for a swim and so she sauntered off in the general direction of the sea. But as soon as the padding on her front paws felt the chill of the water, she scurried back and quickly changed her plans!

Padders was by now building a network of roads and tunnels in the sand. Mama was happily lazing on a sun lounger with a hardback novel which Puff could see was captivating her mind completely. Papa was rubbing factor 45 sunscreen into his nose and eyelids and all the bits on a big brown bear that are prone to burn! He was then going to try out the jet skis for 15 minutes if no-one had any objections.

He had such a great time whizzing through the waves, but what a different scenario met his eyes as he trudged back up the beach. Puff and Padders had started a silly row over the tube of suncream. They had both reached for it at the same time, and neither would give in. They struggled in the sand and then Puff stepped back ruining Padders’ architectural sand structure of which he was so proud and wanted to show Papa.

Mama was pleading pitifully ‘ Violence is pointless. You would both get your own way more often if you were gentler and nicer to each other.’

‘ Nonsense’ snorted Puff in total disbelief and with disrespect.

At this point Papa appeared and intervened. ‘ Mama is right’ he said, and they froze on the spot. They knew that he would not tolerate this sort of behaviour at all.

‘ Oh , you are back’ stumbled Puff rubbing the sand from her eyes.

‘I’m back all right’.

‘ And how was your skiing ?’ asked Puff trying to divert his attention but without success.

Padders was more diplomatic. ‘ So Papa you agree that we would get our own way more often if we were gentler and not violent ?’

‘ Of course. Did I never tell you the story about the wind and the sun ?’

‘ No Papa, but we sure want to hear’.

As the sun blazed upon them and the wind whistled around them, the setting was perfect for the story. Papa told them that once the wind and the sun had a quarrel.

‘What was it about ?’ asked Puff.

‘ I’m just about to tell you Puff. The wind boasted that he was much stronger than the sun. He said - You are too weak and gentle. I’ll show you what power I have and how much stronger I am than you. See that old man over there with the big coat on ? I’m certain I can make him take it off quicker than you ever could....

‘All right’ said the sun, ‘ we’ll see.'

So the sun went behind a cloud but left a little hole through which he could peep and witness the workings of the wind. The wind blew and blew as hard as he could, causing a terrible storm, but the harder he blew the tighter the old man wrapped his coat about him. In the end the wind had to become calm again and give in. Then it was the sun’s turn. He came out from behind the cloud and smiled with gentle sunshine at the old man. After a little while the old man began to mop his brow, unbuttoned his coat and pulled it off . And so the gentle sun beat the fierce wind.

‘So’ said Papa, ‘ the way of gentleness is always better. After all, in the Bible God asks us all to let our gentleness be evident to all...’

They had all retired inside for a siesta - an afternoon rest, something to eat and a freshen up. Then later they went back to the beach and walked along the water’s edge. Puff felt the wind in her face and peered up in the direction of the sun and thought about the lesson she had learnt today.

But Padders was more interested in looking down rather than up. ‘Waoo! Waoo! Waoo!’ he exclaimed with every step he took.

‘What’s the matter with you ?’

‘ Look at my paw prints!’ Every time he lifted his foot from the saturated sand he left behind a print. The sand was so moist from the outgoing tide and Padders was a fairly hefty cub and so his paws sank a little with every pace. Looking back you could see his prints all along the beach. He even stepped back a pace and put his paw back into the print to make sure it fitted!

‘ Waoo! Those are my paw prints right along the beach’.

Papa was quick to remind him that they all leave a mark behind them on everything they touch, not only on sand.

Puff remembered a programme on television which showed that everything we touch is marked by an invisible print. On the programme, detectives were investigating a house which had been broken into and they were dusting the place for finger-prints. Apparently the robbers would have left a print of themselves on everything they touched and this print could be traced to match the criminal. It had really fascinated Puff at the time, as much as Padders was fascinated by his paw prints.

Papa went further. He said that he wanted them to think of the prints they left behind them everyday. Were they doing things that would please God? Or would they prefer that their prints remained invisible, never to be detected ? Well Puff and Padders blushed as they recalled that silly struggle over suncream earlier on - from now on they were determined to leave behind good prints for all to see. Let’s see how long that will last on this holiday!!