by Catherine Ladolcetta-Irvington, AL
God made everything and right in the middle of it all, He put a little cricket! God laughed when He looked at His little cricket!
"My, my, aren't you a funny little fellow? What can you do?"
So the cricket showed God what he could do: he hopped! He stopped. He hopped again! Then he rubbed his legs together and sang a nice, sweet, crickety song. God clapped His spiritual hands together in absolute delight. "Oh!" He said, chuckling, "you are good!" And off God went to make something else.
The cricket hopped and sang. He hopped and sang some more. He was so happy because God had laughed at what he could do!
A few days later, the cricket hopped and sang beside God's crystal- clear spring which bubbled and rippled over the bright-colored pebbles in its bed. Cricket hopped and sang as the spring bubbled and rippled. Together, they felt such joy because they knew they made God glad.
Before long, one of God's slender trees grew up beside the spring. The cricket hopped and sang as the spring bubbled and rippled. The tree was so thrilled that it began to sway and dance in a sudden, shy breeze which swirled all around. The four of them felt great happiness together.
The shy breeze swirled gently and sweetly through a glimmering beam of golden sunlight which softly surrounded them. The cricket hopped and sang, the spring bubbled and rippled, the tree swayed and danced, the breeze swirled shyly and the sunlight glowed and shimmered in delight.
Cricket, Spring, Tree, Breeze and Sunlight were overjoyed to find themselves within the beautiful harmony their sounds, movement and light made.
Suddenly, God, who had been standing there all along, watching and listening, as translucent as a nimbus of starlight, laughed and said, "You are good creations-all doing your own jobs with such joy together!"
Then off He went again, happily singing and swaying, rippling and swirling, shimmering softly through all that He had made. And, once in a while, he gave...a little hop!