Casey the Cat Learns to Calm Her Worries
By Bill Conley
America’s Favorite Children’s Storyteller
Moral
of the Story:
Everyone feels worried or scared
sometimes, and that’s okay; it means your heart is trying to protect you. But
when worry grows too big, it can block out your joy and stop you from seeing
all the good around you. When your tummy feels tight or your heart beats fast,
that’s your body saying, “I need a little peace right now.” Taking deep
breaths, talking to someone you love, and remembering happy thoughts can make
fear shrink. Courage doesn’t mean never feeling afraid; it means being
brave enough to move forward even when you are. Each time you face your
worries, you grow stronger, wiser, and braver than before. God made your heart
strong enough to feel, think, and overcome every anxious thought. Peace begins
when you stop fighting your feelings and start listening to what they’re trying
to teach you.
In a sunny garden filled with
daisies and dragonflies lived a gentle, golden cat named Casey. Casey
loved to stretch in the sun, chase her tail, and nap on the soft green grass.
But sometimes, when the world got quiet and shadows grew long, Casey’s heart
would start to race.
“What if a storm comes? What if I
lose my favorite toy? What if something goes wrong?” She’d whisper, curling her
tail tightly around her paws.
Casey didn’t understand why her
thoughts got so loud or why her chest felt heavy. She just knew she didn’t like
it.
One peaceful evening, Grandma Owl
glided down from her tall oak tree and landed beside Casey. “My dear, you look
worried,” she said softly.
“I am,” Casey sighed. “Sometimes I
feel scared for no reason at all. My heart beats too fast, and I can’t make it
stop.”
Grandma Owl smiled kindly. “That’s worrying,
sweetheart. It visits everyone sometimes. But the good news is, you can learn to
calm it.”
“Really?” Casey asked, her ears
perking up.
“Yes,” Grandma Owl said. “The first
thing to remember is this: you don’t have to fight your worries. You just have
to listen to them kindly and remind them that you are safe.”
She taught Casey what to do:
“Take a deep breath in, then let it out slowly. Say, ‘Hello, worry. I know
you’re trying to protect me, but I’m okay right now.’”
Casey tried it. She took a deep
breath and whispered, “Hello, worry. Thank you, but I’m okay right now.”
To her surprise, her heart slowed
down and her body felt lighter.
“See?” Grandma Owl said with a
smile. “When you talk to your worry with kindness, it starts to shrink. And
when it does, peace has room to grow.”
From that day on, whenever Casey
felt nervous, she practiced three special steps Grandma Owl had taught her:
1.
Take three
deep breaths.
2.
Notice
five things she could see, four things she could touch, three things she could
hear, two things she could smell, and one thing she was thankful for.
3.
Smile and
whisper, ‘God made me brave.’
The more Casey practiced, the easier
it became. Some nights, worry would still knock on her door, but now, she knew
how to answer it.
Instead of hiding, she’d breathe
deeply, look at the stars, listen to the crickets, and feel God’s peace wash
over her.
One bright morning, as the sun rose
over the garden, Casey stretched, smiled, and said aloud,
“Today, I choose calm. Today, I choose peace.”
And from that day forward, whenever
she met another animal who felt scared, Casey gently shared her secret:
“You don’t have to fight your worries; you just have to breathe through them.”
Poem:
When worries whisper in your ear,
Take a breath and calm your fear.
Count your blessings, one by one,
Until you feel the peace begin.
Your heart is strong, your soul is bright,
God’s love will guide you through the night.
Be brave, be kind, let worry cease,
You are safe, and you are at peace.
Questions
for Discussion:
1.
What are some things that make you
feel worried or scared sometimes?
2.
What can you do—like Casey—to calm
your heart and feel peaceful again?
3.
Who can you talk to when your
worries feel too big to handle alone?
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