By Bill Conley
America’s Favorite Children’s Storyteller
Moral of the Story
Real treasure isn’t pearls, coins,
or the shiniest shell—it’s the light you give away. Ali the Angelfish shines as a wife, a mother, and a friend because her love is steady, her faith is
strong, and her kindness guides others like a lantern in the sea.
Beneath a sapphire sky where sunrays
danced into the deep, the Noca-Reef bustled with joyful life. Coral
towers glowed pink and gold, sea grass swayed like ribbons, and bubbles drifted
up in silver strings. In a cozy coral cove lived Ali the Angelfish, a
gentle mother whose smile warmed the whole reef.
Ali didn’t chase flashy treasures or
loud currents. She quietly kept life peaceful at home, guiding Mathew—an
eager young wrasse, age eleven—and Rice—a bright little seahorse, age
seven—exactly where they needed to be, on time, every tide. She cheered
at current-ball matches, listened to shell-chime lessons, and saved the best
hugs for chapel days at the Sea-Grass Sanctuary.
Her husband, Coach Denny, a
sturdy parrotfish who coached the reef’s current-ball team, often said, “Ali is
our lighthouse. When the water gets rough, her love shows us the way back.”
Everyone in Noca-Reef agreed. From
hermit crabs to manta rays, creatures slowed down when Ali swam by, because
being near her felt like resting in warm sunlight.
This year, on the twelfth day of
Harvest Tide, her family and friends decided to give some of that light back.
The
Secret Plan
“Mom always does everything for us,”
Coach Denny whispered to Rice as they drifted behind a sea fan. “What if we
make this birthday her brightest one yet?”
Rice’s little tail curled with
excitement. “A surprise! With lights!”
Mathew spun a quick loop. “Let’s
invite the whole reef—our chapel friends, neighbors, and teammates. We’ll make
the hall sparkle like morning water.”
So the planning began.
Rice crafted decorations shaped like
her favorite reef places—the Bubble-Fountain Park, where she played tag;
the Clam-Shell Slides she climbed again and again; and the Starfish
Bridge that glowed tangerine at dusk. She used strips of kelp, tiny shells,
and bioluminescent jelly beads that twinkled softly in the dark.
Mathew painted signs of the Kelpway
Trails, where he raced his buddies, and the Pearl-Field, where Mom
cheered the loudest from the sidelines.
Coach Denny arranged music with the
dolphin choir, gathered sweet sea-urchin tarts, and ordered one very big
sea-sponge cake with blue-coral icing.
The morning of her birthday, Ali
opened her eyes to three faces beaming like lanterns.
“Happy birthday, Mom!” squeaked
Rice, nearly tangling her tail.
“Get ready,” said Mathew. “There’s a
surprise tide waiting.”
The
Celebration of Light
They led Ali into the Great Coral
Hall, and she stopped mid-fin.
The whole place shimmered. Jelly-bead garlands glowed along the walls, bubbles
bobbed like lanterns overhead, and every decoration pictured a spot Ali loved
most in Noca-Reef.
Creatures filled the hall—neighbors,
chapel friends, teammates—all waving fins and calling together:
🎉 “Happy Birthday, Ali!” 🎉
In the center stood the sea-sponge
cake, tall and shining with sugary pearls. Piped across the front in pearly
cream were the words:
“Happy 39th Birthday to Our Amazing
Ali, Wife, Mother, and Friend!”
Ali blinked through happy tears.
Rice fluttered to the front and read
a birthday poem she’d practiced all week:
“Mom, you make our reef a home,
You guide our fins wherever we roam.
With steady love and courage bright,
You are our harbor. You are our light.”
Mathew cleared his throat. “Mom,
you’re the reason I try my best. You keep us on course and cheer for us in
everything we do. You’re my hero.”
The lights dimmed, and the dolphin
choir hummed. Three coral candles flickered atop the cake like tiny
lighthouses. Everyone gathered close and sang:
🎵 Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday, dear Ali,
Happy birthday to you! 🎵
Ali took a deep breath, laughed
through her tears, and blew the candles out in one gentle whoosh. For a
heartbeat, the hall was dark.
Then—whoomph!—hundreds of
jelly beads bloomed with warm light, washing the room in golden glow. Gasps
turned to cheers. “For you,” whispered Coach Denny. “Because you light our
lives every day.”
The
Helpful Current
After the feast, a timid hermit crab
tugged Ali’s fin. “Mrs. Ali… the current near the Kelpway grew strong today. My
little brother is frightened to go home.”
Ali smiled. “Let’s make a little
light for his path.”
She asked the octopus ushers to
gather lantern bubbles and the jellyfish to swim along the edges of the kelp.
The dolphin choir hummed a steady tone for courage, and Coach Denny organized a
buddy line of fish to guide families through the swift water one stretch at a
time.
Ali swam beside the nervous little
crab, talking softly about God’s faithful care and how even strong currents bow
to His hand. Step by step, light by light, everyone made it safely through.
When the last neighbor waved from
home, the choir hushed. The reef grew quiet again, aglow with leftover lanterns
bobbing like sleepy stars.
Evening
Peace
Back in their coral cottage, the
current whispered through seagrass. Soft moonlight spilled down the water-road
from the surface.
Rice curled against her mother. “You
made the whole reef brave tonight.”
Mathew nodded. “And you made it
bright.”
Coach Denny brushed a gentle kiss on
Ali’s cheek. “You are kind, genuine, and loving. We thank God for you every
single day.”
Ali gazed upward where the surface
shimmered like a window to heaven and whispered a prayer—
not for presents,
not for cake,
but for the love that wrapped her family and reef in a warm, steady light.
Because that love—the kind that
serves, steadies, and shines—is the greatest treasure in all the sea.
Birthday
Poem
She keeps their coral home in peace
and care.
She reads the tides and gets them everywhere.
She cheers her children, lifts up every friend,
Her faith and kindness guide her from start to end.
She shines with sweetness, courage, joy, and light.
A harbor in the calm and in the night.
Her heart stays anchored, close to God above.
A lighthouse reef, made bright by daily love.
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