Digging burrows was the favorite pastime of the Green family of gophers. They spent as much time as possible digging deep and narrow tunnels where they could comfortably relax during their downtime.

Grayson was the youngest member of the Green family, but he always shied away from burrowing. He was always nervous that whenever he did build a tunnel, his siblings would tease him about how shallow and tiny it was.

Grayson’s mom noticed her son hiding in the background while the other kids were digging and decided to talk with him.

“Grayson, honey,” she said, “How about joining me and your Papa while we dig our burrows?”

“Aw, Mama, I just don’t know if I have what it takes to be a gopher!” he remarked. “My paws are so tiny and my claws are so short. I can’t possibly dig as impressively as the older kids!”

Mama Green realized that he was comparing his abilities to his siblings’, and offered a word of encouragement. “Grayson, my darling, only you know what’s good enough for yourself. Never mind what anybody else is doing. You have what it takes to dig a burrow that’s perfect for you, regardless of what anybody else says!”

With that word from Mama Green, he felt encouraged, and reminded himself that as long as the burrow was deep and wide enough for his tiny body to fit, it’d be perfect!

He spent the next few hours happily digging away, knowing that he had the ability to make the burrow his own. When he was done, he shouted, “Mama, look! Look at this burrow that I dug all by myself! And it’s just perfect for me!” Mama Green felt pride in her son’s self-confidence and gave him the tightest hug.

“I knew you could do it, son! All it takes is just a little self-belief!” 

The Collins family were proud cacti. Although all cacti in the area were known to be able to withstand the terrible Arizona droughts, the Collins family believed they had special strengths.

“What makes us different from all the other cacti, mom?” asked Caleb.

“Well, honey,” started his mom, “the Collins family has always been resilient.” She continued, “Even when the droughts became unbearable for other families, we’ve always managed to pull through.”

And during the rainy season, Caleb began to realize why. He noticed his parents used a special technique for storing water.

As the rain came pouring down, Caleb’s mom and dad forced their pores open and collected as much water as possible. Caleb knew they were on to something, so he decided to follow suit.

When the drought hit, the Collins family started using up their water stores like everyone else. But when it got really hard to stay hydrated, Caleb’s parents reached deep down and pulled up their water reserves.

Again, he mimicked what they did and realized that he was now more hydrated than the other cacti around. “Wow, we really are resilient cacti!” exclaimed Caleb. “I thought we would dry up and wither, but you guys showed me how to reach for my reserves and fuel myself from within.”

 “Yes, son,” said his dad. “Even when the situation you’re in seems impossible to beat, always trust and believe in your ability to persevere.”

 From that point on, Caleb showed resilience in anything he set his mind to achieve.