I have built over 200 “fancy” Li’l Bug Cabins and have given most of them to be treasured by rapidly moving little hands and feet skinnying over backyard lawns and grasses.
One day I got a phone call,
“We’ve got a problem with one of your Li’l bug cabins.”
I didn’t remember ever promising a lifetime guarantee, but I was curious so I asked what the problem was.
“Our grandson put a cocoon into the Li’l bug cabin.”
“Yes?”
“Well, it hatched and now we don’t know how to get the butterfly out.”
That was an exciting reward for me which made the answer come easy.
“Take the Li’l bug cabin apart, don’t harm the butterfly and come get another bug cabin.”
That worked out great. A concerned little boy became involved in a relaxed rescue and release. He knew he would be able to give the butterfly freedom and get a free replacement for the Li’l bug cabin that he would intentionally ruin.

I called her Joy,
Because she looked happy.
She seemed to be wherever I went,
I knew that one day I would have to give her back to the world.
Here she is, on my arm riding the waives.
I’m not real sure that it’s Joy but I think it is because she looks happy.
I knew that one day I would have to give her back to the world.
Joy plays many games, from food inspector to buzz landing upside down on the ceiling.
I’m not real sure that it’s Joy but I think it is because she looks happy.
Today we went for a Joy ride. She usually rides inside with me, but today she chose to ride on the outside of my windshield. I’m not real sure that it’s Joy out there but I think it is because she looks happy.
When I started driving, Joy was contently moving all her legs in concert, exploring the outside of my windshield. She may have been sight seeing or simply scoping the curved glass for a new experience I don’t know. But she looked happy.
At 15 MPH Joy was still roaming about the windshield looking happy.
25 MPH. Joy is settling down a bit but still Joy looks happy.
40 MPH With one final leg movement Joy kicks in concentration.
45 MPH Joy thinks about forgetting happy while she glues her feet to the smooth glass.
55 MPH Joy is exercising her wings in a rapid flutter and she’s stretching out her legs about 4”. I ’m not real sure that it’s Joy but I think it is because she looks happy.
60 MPH It appears like Joy is beside herself. I think her body might be in a different county from where her legs are cranked down. But If the curved windshield isn’t playing tricks on me, I think she still looks happy.
While racing along at 65 MPH, suddenly I notice I’ve given Joy to the world!
This is a true story except for those parts that aren‘t.

I received the following invitation from a very supportive blogger and I quote - .
“I was thinking about being 'in a frame of mind' the other day. I would like to see you blog about that some day.”
Thanks for a complimentary invitation but I’d like to ask for lots of help from all of you. Please answer ten simple questions.
What glues the corners of our current frame of mind in place?
Are there tools available for us to remodel our frame of mind if desired?
Can the I doctor dislodge splintered frame of mind imbedded in our mind’s eye?
If our current frame of mind makes us appear square, what changes could help us influence the décor in an Oval Office?
Does my frame of mind always reach the edges of the entire picture?
If I change my frame of mind, will that change my personality?
How do I know when my frame of mind is getting stale and needs to be changed?
When we become change artists should we number our frame of mind inventory so we can warn people, “Beware I’m wearing number six frame of mind today!”
If I would stuff the contents of your frame of mind alongside the contents in my frame of mind, would I double it’s value?
How can one best repair a rotten frame of mind, keeping it from crumbling into nothing?

Direct quote from Shell Oil Co gave me something to think about1!
“Don’t throw anything away there is no away” .

When you and I face temptations or shake hands with unpleasant circumstances, don’t we wonder where God has gone? What about God’s promises to us? God revealed his promises over and over to the Israelites, especially after Pharaoh agreed to let them go. Come, let’s you and I jump into character and ride along on the tale of this old familiar story.
Well, here we are all bunched up on the shores of the Red Sea at waters edge, but nobody’s fishing! I feel so insignificant in such a large group of men, women and children.
My people are on the move. We lived in Egypt for 430 years. Now God says he will help us escape the shrewd dealings of this Pharaoh who has made our lives miserable. We have just left Egypt and are camping on the shores of the Red Sea. Suddenly, someone notices that Pharaoh’s anger has erupted once again and his army is blocking the only escape route. With the Red Sea’s underwater currents reaching down to unknown depths, we fear for our lives. Pharaoh is positioned to attack and we have no escape route!
Just that quickly God performs a miracle by parting walls of water and we cross the Red Sea on dry land. Ok, thanks God. But soon we are dissatisfied. We are getting thirsty and the only drinking water we can find tastes bitter, not fit to drink. To top it all off, there is no descent food to eat either! We may appear to God to be a complaining lot, but is God looking at our situation? We will surely all die of hunger and thirst if things don‘t improve quickly.
Again God performs a miracle!
And again we’re not satisfied, other major conflicts emerge along the way. Moses, our leader, disappears high up into the mountains somewhere and leaves us stranded. “I understand we’re supposed to celebrate our freedom, so, let’s fashion a golden calf,” and so we did!
Woa! Let’s jump off this tale and examine our own escape routes. Who are the Pharaohs in my life whom I blame when I feel pursued? Who is my Moses that I may have come to depend on more than I care to admit? Where (or what) is my God anyhow and where has he gone
Each of us has been given the power to be a Moses for one another by reaching out.
“Yes, I have just been to see God. Why we were talking together holding hands, come along, God’s still right here ready to hold your hand also. Close your eyes so you might see him more clearly.
When the Pharaohs of our lives come in hot pursuit, we need to face them with the strength of Moses and allow the spirit of God to reach out and embrace our weaknesses. And the spirit of God will!