To make a very long story short, we into Three Bears General Store to get some cash. When we entered, I thought, "Wall to wall souvenirs". This place has all kinds of the usual t-shirts, caps, bags, jewelry, toys, and anything else on which you would advertise the Smokies. They have a concession area and a section that is similar to a Christian bookstore with tshirts, jewelry, purses, bookmarks, and all sorts of goodies. As I ascended the stairs my thought was "wall to wall Christmas ornaments". But then I went around the left and saw the sign to See and Feed Live Bears. Gotta check this out. So we pay our $3.25 each and head on out. We missed the feeding time by 30 minutes, but we did see the black bears in their habitat. Here are a few photos.
This must be a really comfortable lounging position because this bear did not move for a while.
This one was napping on the other side of the habitat and refused to acknowledge anything.
This one was pacing the entire time. I figured if there were a Papa, Mama, and Baby bear here, this one must have been the Mama.
I wondered how they fed the bears without getting hurt. Now I know.
After we had our fill of watching the bears, we went back inside and headed toward the Arcade. Hubby loves arcades, and I do enjoy a bit of Skee-Ball myself. On the way, we spy the massage center. The young lady who was running it asked if we were interested, but we said no. T asked her about a lanyard she was wearing that said "Praying for Willow" and "Facebook- Willow's Branch". She is the mother of a beautiful 5 year old who has Schwachman-Diamond Syndrome. Click here to link to her facebook page for the entire story. As she is telling us about all of the physical challenges her child has, she also shares with us about the store's prayer wall. It started with "Rooting for Regen", a 12 year old in the community who has brain cancer that they are rallying around and supporting. He is very discouraged because he has gone from an athlete to not being able to move. This love and support then spread into their "Prayers for Smiling Faces". Customers can submit a card with a child's name who is having their own physical battle and the store will post it. See photos below.
Isn't Willow just a cutie?
And this is their wall.
The link at the beginning of the article can take you to their homepage and you can learn about all of the nifty things they have on this property. But the niftiest thing is probably not mentioned. It is their staff. Most retailers in this area are friendly and nice, but Three Bears takes it a step( or should I say a mile?) further. As customers leave a particular section of the store, every member of the staff in that section says "Have a blessed day". And they say it like they mean it.
So, that is why I wrote this blog. I want to encourage you to pray for Willow and Regen and all children who have to battle diseases. I want to encourage you to pray for their parents, who are daily examples of strength and courage. Lastly, thank God for the medical advancements we have and pray for continued research.
And have a blessed day.
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