APRIL 7, 1993 - AUGUST 5, 2003

The Dragonfly Story

Down below the surface of a quiet pond lived a little colony of water bugs. They were a happy colony, living far away from the sun. For many months they were very busy, scurrying over the soft mud on the bottom of the pond. They did notice that every once in awhile one of their colony seemed to lose interest in going about. Clinging to the stem of a pond lily it gradually moved out of sight and was seen no more.

"Look!" said one of the water bugs to another. "one of our colony is climbing up the lily stalk. Where do you think she is going?" Up, up, up it slowly went....Even as they watched, the water bug disappeared from sight. Its friends waited and waited but it didn't return...

"That's funny!" said one water bug to another. "Wasn't she happy here?" asked a second... "Where do you suppose she went?" wondered a third.

No one had an answer. They were greatly puzzled. Finally one of the water bugs, a leader in the colony, gathered its friends together. "I have an idea". "The next one of us who climbs up the lily stalk must promise to come back and tell us where he or she went and why."

"We promise", they said solemnly.

One spring day, not long after, the very water bug who had suggested the plan found himself climbing up the lily stalk. Up, up, up, he went. Before he knew what was happening, he had broke through the surface of the water and fallen onto the broad, green lily pad above.

When he awoke, he looked about with surprise. He couldn't believe what he saw. A startling change had come to his old body. His movement revealed four silver wings and a long tail. Even as he struggled, he felt an impulse to move his wings...The warmth of the sun soon dried the moisture from the new body. He moved his wings again and suddenly found himself up above the water. He had become a dragonfly!!

Swooping and dipping in great curves, he flew through the air. He felt exhilarated in the new atmosphere. By and by the new dragonfly lighted happily on a lily pad to rest. Then it was that he chanced to look below to the bottom of the pond. Why, he was right above his old friends, the water bugs! There they were scurrying around, just as he had been doing some time before.

The dragonfly remembered the promise: "the next one of us who climbs up the lily stalk will come back and tell where he or she went and why." Without thinking, the dragonfly darted down. Suddenly he hit the surface of the water and bounced away. Now that he was a dragonfly, he could no longer go into the water...

"I can't return!" he said in dismay. "At least, I tried. But I can't keep my promise. Even if I could go back, not one of the water bugs would know me in my new body. I guess I'll just have to wait until they become dragonflies too. Then they'll understand what has happened to me, and where I went."

And the dragonfly winged off happily into its wonderful new world of sun and air.......

Thank you God, for the story of the water bugs and the dragonflies.

Please remember CLINT who left the pond we live in...and remember me...

STICKNEY, D. (1997). Water Bugs and Dragonflies. Explaining Death To Young Children. The Pilgrim Press.

  This is one of Clint's drawings.  He loved to draw and one of his aspirations was to be an artist.  He also loved Pokemon - Pokemon or Yugioh characters.  You can barely see his "new" signature at the bottom of the drawing.
 


             

   

Color- Green

Pastime – Gameboy, Nintendo, Collecting Yugio and Pokemon Cards, Drawing, Baseball, Swimming, Soccer, Fishing with Dad

Friends – Dylan, Anna, Logan

Favorite Subjects – Math and Science
Teacher - Norma Taylor

Music – The Music from Shrek 

TV show -  Simpsons, anything Nickelodeon

Drink – Orange Juice

Movie – Space Jam, Shrek

Sports Team – University of Florida Gators and Tampa Bay Bucs

Book – Captain Underpants Series

Games – Electronic Games

Food –  Cherries, Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Pizza, anything McDonald’s, Mom’s Shepherds Pie, French Toast

Holiday - Christmas and Halloween
                                                                

 Forever 10, and always on my mind -

 Frozen in that place, frozen in that time.

The perfect puddle, under the perfect tree -

  Looking for frogs, or flowers...for me.

Always happy, always carefree, I see him

 running like the wind; through the trees.

Sleeping in on Saturday, watching cartoons til noon-

  Snorkeling with Dad, or watching the moon.

Power Rangers, Pokemon, Captain Underpants, Sponge Bob-

  To the world of a child, the world of wonder, he belonged.

Big sparkling eyes, beautiful smile, loving his life in his

  very own style.

Happy, adventurous, and just as silly as could be,

   just another child to you - but the whole world to me.

Frozen in place and frozen in time-

  Forever he’ll stay 10, in my heart and my mind.

                    1993 to eternity.