One of the series of ‘I Am’ studies at church was ‘I am the Resurrection and the Life’ and as I was working with the children on that Sunday, I chose to link the story of Lazarus with the fictional story of Water Bugs and Dragonflies, a book written by Doris Stickney. Water Bugs and Dragonflies is a beautiful modern parable about transformation, that explores the challenging topic of death and loss that even young children can access and may find helpful.
The story begins with a colony of water bugs who spend their lives at the bottom of the pond, although occasionally one of the colony of these strange looking creatures, would climb out of the pond, up the stalk of a water lily, disappear, and never come back. The water bugs are curious to know what happens to each friend, why they leave and where they go. So, the water bugs promise each other that the next water bug that climbs out of the pond must return and tell the others what happens to them above the surface of the pond.
The next water bug to leave the pond, discovers that a startling change has occurred to his body, that he has grown four beautiful wings and a tail, and that he is able to fly freely in the air and the sunshine. He has become a dragonfly. Moving his beautiful silver wings, he finds himself flying above the pond where his friends the water bugs live. Then he remembers the promise that he made while he was still a water bug at the bottom of the pond.
The dragonfly attempts to return through the water surface of the pond but realises that with his changed body he cannot return to the pond, the water, and his friends. The beautiful dragonfly also realizes that even if he could go back, not one of the water bugs would recognize him and know him in this new, changed body. He would have to wait until they become dragonflies too and join him beyond the water of the pond.
After listening to the story on that first Sunday morning, the children and young people prepared their cut outs of leaves using real leaves, and their drawings of dragonflies, that were to be transferred to a piece of silk, ready for them to add the silk paint into their shapes on the silk fabric.
The dragonfly and leaves banner, with Jesus’s statement, “I am the Resurrection and the Life” is the result.