Once in a little pond, in the muddy water under the lily pads, there lived a little water beetle
in a community of water beetles.  They lived a comfortable life in the pond with few
disturbances and interruptions.  Once in awhile, sadness would come to the community
when one of their fellow beetles would climb the stem of a lily pad and would never be seen
again.  They knew when this happened, their friend was dead, gone forever.

Then, one day, this little water beetle felt an irresistible urge to climb up that stem.  
However, he was determined that he would not leave forever.  He would come back and tell
his friends what he had found at the top.  When he reached the top and climbed out of the
water onto the surface of the lily pad, he was so tired, and the sun felt so warm, that he
decided he must take a nap.  As he slept, his body changed and when he woke up, he had
turned into a beautiful blue tailed dragonfly with broad wings and a slender body designed
for flying.  So, fly he did!  And, as he soared he saw the beauty of a whole new world and a
far superior way of life to what he had ever known existed.

Then he remembered his beetle friends and how they were thinking by now he was dead.  
He wanted to go back to tell them, and explain to them that he was now more alive than he
had ever been before.  His life had been fulfilled rather than ended.

But, his new body would not go down into the water.  He could not get back to tell his friends
the good news.  Then he understood that their time would come, when they too would know
what he now knew.  So, he raised his wings and flew off into his joyous new life!