So what have I been up to? And why haven’t I been posting new cartoons?
Herby the Parrot and I are excited to announce that we have been busy working on Herby’s very first book! Published by Imagine! Books and appropriately titled Herby Gets a Life, this is a collection of Herby’s cartoons along with his thoughts and encouragements on life and positive life values. It’s all cleverly formatted and geared for third- to fifth- graders, though we’re rather sure it will be enjoyed both by children and children-at-heart alike.
Now that the cat’s out of the bag (hopefully it will leave poor Herby alone), we hope you are excited as much as we are to see Herby’s adventures come alive in book form. Go to Herby the Parrot’s brand-new Facebook page and “Like” him! And stay tuned for more updates and how you can get ahold of a copy of Herby’s very first book, scheduled to be released in mid-March!
There are many things that we don’t know all the answers to, or that cannot be proven with our five senses, and that must be believed instead. No one can see love for example, but we can believe that love exists and that it is good to love other people. We can believe that it is better to do good things and share love with people rather than doing evil. Herby encourages his friends to believe in the miracle of Christmas even if it is something that happened a long time ago and takes faith to believe.
How can you know that something is true or worth believing even if you can’t prove it with your five senses? What are some things that you can’t see or prove but can still believe are true?
When we believe something is true even when we can’t see or prove it, it is called faith. Faith doesn’t have to be blind or irrational—we can believe something because we have a good reason to believe it is true, such as that you are an amazing person with a good purpose for your life, or that God exists and came to earth as a baby 2,000 years ago to save us from our sins and give us eternal life. Sometimes though it might not even seem to be true or it may be harder to believe because other people don’t believe it. But this doesn’t mean it is untrue and not worth believing. Have faith even if you can’t always see or prove it, because there are some things you have to “just believe.”
Herby the Parrot comes to life in this 12-month calendar. Brighten up your space with Herby and his friends today! Click here to order & thank you for your support!
Other people can do things that hurt us and cause us to feel angry at them. When other people hurt us, we may feel like hurting them back. Herby pretends he is a knight on a quest to slay a dragon—er, the neighborhood cat—who often pounces on him and causes him much trouble.
When someone hurts you or does something that makes you mad, do you ever feel like treating them badly or staying angry with them? What would happen if you forgave them instead? Have you ever done something wrong and needed other people to forgive you?
Forgiving others doesn’t mean that what they did was right and that you shouldn’t protect yourself from being harmed. But it does mean that you choose not to stay mad at them or hate them, and that you stop punishing or hurting them in return. When we don’t forgive, we only make things worse—mostly for ourselves! Those feelings can control us and keep us from enjoying life. Forgive other people who hurt you, just like you need other people to forgive you when you do wrong things, and you won’t look at them as “foul beasts” to be slayed.
When circumstances aren’t what we’d like them to be, we may feel unhappy, discouraged, and rather like complaining about them. Maybe the weather isn’t to your liking, you want something that you can’t have, or you wish your life was different. Sometimes it may even seem that there are so many bad things that happen, it can be hard to be glad about anything. Herby notices that even though there can often be plenty to complain about, there is still a way to be happy.
Do you ever feel like complaining about how bad things are? What good things can you be thankful for instead? How does it feel when you are grateful for these things?
Be thankful for the good things in your life. Even when it is hard to see anything good, keep looking, because you are sure to find something you can be thankful for. When we appreciate the good things in our lives and thank others for the good things they do for us, it makes us happier and healthier, it enables us to overcome problems, and it helps those around us. The extra effort it takes to be thankful will be “worth it.”
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