"Good friends need to remember this: You should be quick to listen, think before speaking, and slow to get angry." James 1:19

Pinky Pig sat in her mud wallow on a hot summer day.

"Do you think it will ever cool off?" Chrissie Cow asked, switching her tail, trying to fan herself.

"You can get into my mud wallow," Pinky offered.

"No, thank you." But Chrissie wanted to climb in, the mud looked so cool.

Just then, Gabriel Gosling went running by. Behind him a kitten gave chase.
The gray and white tabby kitten was the newest member of the Hollyhock Farm family. Mrs. Farmer had brought her home from the animal shelter and named her Nina.

From the first day she had been introduced to the farm, Nina had taken an instant liking to the gosling. She'd chase him all over the farmyard and when she caught him she'd squeeze him in a tight hug. All the animals thought it was very cute, but Gabriel did not. He was tired of being chased and squeezed by the friendly kitten.

Gabriel stopped running and turned on the kitten. "Nina, I wish Mrs. Farmer had never brought you home! I don't like being chased or hugged and I wish you would just go away!"

The startled kitten stopped in her tracks. "I just want to be your friend." Tears pooled in the kitten's eyes as she turned and walked away, head and tail drooping.

"Gabriel Gosling, you hurt her feelings. You go right now and apologize to Nina," scolded Chrissie Cow.

Gabriel was ashamed of himself for being so mean, but he was stubborn and didn't want to apologize right then.

"I'll do it later," Gabriel told himself.

"I don't think anyone likes me. I'm going to find a new home," Nina told herself.

Nina took her favorite squeaky toy and squeezed under the back fence. She set out in search of a new home.

As Nina passed farms along her way, dogs ran out and barked at her. She was glad they were behind fences. Nina didn't want to live on a farm with bad dogs, so she kept going.

Nina passed a house with a dog in the front yard. She saw the gate was open so she hurried across the road, hoping the dog wouldn't see her, but he did and he chased after her.

Nina had to drop her squeaky toy and climb the nearest tree to get away from the dog. She wasn't very good at climbing yet and barely made it up the tree before the dog caught up to her. She sat on a branch mewing loudly while the dog sat under the tree barking.

Meanwhile at Hollyhock Farm, Mrs. Farmer called for Nina to come eat her dinner. "Nina! It's dinner time." She called Nina over and over but she didn't come.

Pinky heard Mrs. Farmer calling for the kitten and ran to see if she could help.

"Oh Pinky, I can't find Nina. Where could she be?" Mrs. Farmer said, with tears in her eyes.

THIS WAS A JOB FOR SUPER PIG!

"Has anyone seen Nina?" Super Pig asked the animals.

"I think I hurt her feelings and she ran away." Gabriel felt very bad.

It would be dark in a few hours and Super Pig knew she needed to find Nina soon. She went out the gate and looked one way and then the other. She saw Nina favorite squeaky toy lying in the road and knew Nina was close by. She heard a dog barking and ran to see why. She found Nina up a tree yowling away and under it sat the barking dog.

"Hey, dog! You leave Nina alone!" Super Pig shouted as she ran to the rescue. The dog took one look at Super Pig and putting his tail between his legs, ran all the way home.

"Nina, why did you run away?" asked Super Pig. "Mrs. Farmer has been looking everywhere for you. Everyone on Hollyhock farm wants you to come home."

"Gabriel doesn't," said the kitten. "I just wanted to be his friend, but I did everything wrong."

"Gabriel's just not used to the way you play. He wants you to come home too." Super Pig assured her.

Nina slid down the tree trunk using her claws, but she got stuck. Super Pig picked her up and gave her a big hug. Nina was so happy Super Pig had come to look for her.

Super Pig carried her home and the dogs along the way barked and jumped at the fences. Super Pig stomped her foot at them and told them to be quiet, and the dogs ran for the safety of the front porch.

"Bad dogs," Nina said, feeling safe with Super Pig there.

Gabriel Gosling sat by the gate waiting for Nina to come home. He knew he should have apologized to her when Chrissie told him to and Nina wouldn't have run away.

When he saw Super Pig and Nina, Gabriel ran to meet them. "I'm sorry I hurt your feelings, Nina. I didn't want you to run away."

"I'm sorry too. I promise not to chase you anymore, unless we're playing tag," Nina laughed.

Gabriel and Nina ran to the farmhouse where Mrs. Farmer was very happy to see her kitten. The next day she went to the pet store and bought Nina a pretty pink collar with a bell on it. "Now I'll always know where you are," she told Nina.

That night when Pinky went to her pen, she thought about her day. She was happy Nina was home. She knew Gabriel and Nina would learn to play together and become good friends.

Pinky said her prayers, thankful the kitten was back where she belonged, and then she fell fast asleep.