Just then Amber heard a sound behind her. It was the sound of laughter. She turned to see another small angel romping through the meadow chasing a small, orange butterfly. 

Amber quickly ran toward the other little angel to see what she was doing. Amber was just a few feet away from the other little angel when the other angel stopped chasing the butterfly and looked at Amber. Then she spoke cheerfully,

      “Hi, my name is Ellen. What is your name?”

      Ellen was the same size as Amber. She had long black hair and brown eyes that were slightly slanted resembling an oriental child. She also wore a little white robe, had two small wings, and had a little golden halo above her head. 

      “Hi, my name is Amber,” replied Amber. “What are you doing?”

      “I am trying to catch the little butterfly so I can play with it,” answered Ellen. “Would you be my friend and play with me?” Ellen asked Amber.

      Amber thought about it for a few moments and then replied, “It sounds like fun but I don't know if I should.”

      “Why not?” asked Ellen.

      “Because we are not exactly alike”, answered Amber. “The trees and the grass are exactly

alike, but we are not.”

      “I know we look different, but playing together would be so much fun”, said Ellen.

      “Yes, I agree,” said Amber. “I like you Ellen and want to be your friend.”

      “I like you too, Amber,” replied Ellen. “What shall we do?”

      “I'm not sure if this is the right thing to do but I think we should be friends and play together until someone who knows tells us it is wrong,” said Amber.

      “Yes,” said Ellen. “I agree. We will be friends and play together until someone who knows tells us it is not right to do so.”

      “Ellen, what is this place called?” asked Amber.

      “I don't know,” answered Ellen, “but it sure is beautiful and I like it better since we are friends.”

      “Me too,” said Amber.

      Just then the little orange butterfly flew right past Ellen's nose.

       Ellen and Amber looked at each other and darted after the butterfly, giggling as they went. Just as the two little angels were about to catch up with the butterfly, it flew among some trees and disappeared.

      “Do you see it?” asked Ellen.

      “No”, replied Amber. “But I do see something else”.

      “What do you see?” asked Ellen.

      “Another little angel. He is like us but different too. Lets go see what he is doing,” said Amber.

      The two little angels walked into the small forest a short distance and came upon a third small angel looking up at the tops of the trees. He had collar length black hair, tanned skin with a reddish tint to it (resembling an American Indian). He wore a little white robe, has two small wings in the back, and a golden halo above his head. His halo also had a small feather in back that stood straight up. As the two angels approached the third, Amber blurted out,

     “ Who are you and what are you doing?”

      “My name is Ivan,” said the third angel. “I was looking at the trees and the grass and noticed they are all exactly the same. But you two are not the same and you are not like me either!”

      “We know, said Ellen. “I am Ellen and this is Amber. We were playing together until we could find someone that could tell us if we should or not. Do you Know?”

      “No”, said Ivan. “I do wonder why everything is alike and we are different.”

      “We don't know either”, said Amber. “Do you know what this place is called?”

      “No, but it sure is pretty here. Everything is so nice”, replied Ivan.

      “Ivan, would you like to be our friend and play with us?” asked Ellen.

      “I would like to be your friend and play with you”, answered Ivan. “Do you think it will be alright to do so?” 

      “We are not sure. But it is much more fun than playing alone”, said Amber.

      I van smiled and agreed. “Yes”, he said. “Playing together would be much more fun. It would make me very happy to be your friend”.

      “Good”, said Ellen. “But what shall we play? The butterfly is gone!”

      “I know what we can do”, said Ivan. “At the other side of the woods is a little stream. If you put your feet in it they tingle. It feels so good!”

      “That sounds like fun”, said Ellen.

      “Take us there, Ivan”, said Amber.

      So the three little angels hurried away to the other side of the forest together, laughing and talking as the went. As they reached the end of the forest, they saw the stream. The bank on each side was lined with grass all the way to the water's edge. The water was crystal clear, so clear that you could see all the way to the bottom of the stream. And the water made a sound like it was making it's own music as it flowed past on its way to some far away place. The three little angels squealed with delight as they raced to the water's edge, Ivan leading the way. When they reached the water, Ivan did not stop but stepped into the water just a little higher than his ankles.

      “Oh, that feels so good!” he exclaimed. 

      The other two angels quickly joined him.

      “It does feel good”, said Ellen. “It tickles my toes.”

      “I am going out where it is deep”, said Amber. “I want to see if it makes me feel good all over”. 

       So Amber began walking out towards the middle of the stream. First, she went in up to her knees. Next, she went in where the water is up to her waist. Finally, she went out to the middle of the stream, where the water was up to her neck, then dunked her head under the water.

      When Amber's head popped back up out of the water, Ellen called out. “How does it feel, Amber?”

      “It feels wonderful. Every part of me feels so alive!” exclaimed Amber. Then Amber stuck her face down into the water and took a great big drink. “Oh, the water tastes so good and makes me tingle inside. I like playing here”, said Amber. So Ellen and Ivan joined Amber in the middle of the stream.

      “We agree with you, Amber”, said Ellen.

      “Yes”, said Ivan. “This does feel great. And it is so much fun.”

      So the three little angels spent some time bobbing up and down in the water, splashing each other, laughing and talking and enjoying playing together. As the three angels played in the water, they didn't notice the little stranger standing on the river bank watching them.

      The stranger called out to them, “Hey, what are you doing?”

      The three angels looked at the far river bank and beheld another small angel. He had black skin and short black curly hair. His eyes looked like two pieces of coal surrounded by bright, shining light and his teeth shown like moonbeams when he smiled. He wore a little white robe, had two little wings on his back, and a golden halo above his head. 

      “We're playing in the stream”, Ellen answered back. “Would you like to play with us?”

      “I don't know”, replied the little black angel. “You don't look like me.”

      “None of us look alike”, said Ivan. “ But this sure is fun.”

      “My name is Amber and this is Ellen and Ivan”, said Amber. “What is your name?” she asked. 

      “My name is Oscar”, the little black angel replied. 

      “Join us Oscar”, said Ellen. “This is so much fun.”

      “Alright, I will”, said Oscar. And into the water joining the other three went Oscar, laughing and splashing and having a great time with his new friends. “This is fun and it feels good too!” exclaimed Oscar. “This is more fun than throwing fruit.”

      “Throwing fruit”, questioned Amber. 

      “Yes”, said Oscar. “In the forest is a tree with many different kinds of fruit. Some of it was on the ground so I picked it up and threw it. I can throw it far because I am strong.”

      “Does it taste good?”, asked Amber.

      “I don't know”, answered Oscar. “I didn't eat any of it.”

      “I would like to see this tree”, said Ellen.

      “Alright”, said Oscar. “When we are finished playing here I will take you to the fruit tree.”

      A warm gentle breeze quickly dried the little angels and their little white robes as they stepped out of the water on to the far bank. 

      “That was so much fun!” exclaimed Ellen. “I'm so glad you joined us Oscar.”

      “Yes, I am glad too”, said Oscar. “The water felt so good. Come and I will show you where the fruit tree is.”

       “I want to taste the fruit”, said Amber. As she spoke she was interrupted by the sound of singing far in the distance. The little angels turned to see a stone bridge downstream and several large angels (about eight feet tall) walking two by two and singing as they went.

      “Someday I'm going to be big like that”, said Oscar.

      They watched for a moment until the angels were out of sight and then Amber said, “Lets go find the fruit tree.”

      So Oscar leading the way, ran into the little forest to find the fruit tree, the other angels following close behind. Soon the little group arrived at a clearing where a lone fruit tree stood that had many different kinds of fruit growing in its branches. 

      “The fruit looks so good but it is high up in the tree branches. There is none on the ground that we can eat”, said Amber.

      “I know”, said Oscar. “I threw all the fruit that was laying on the ground.”

      “How are we going to reach the fruit in the tree to see how it tastes?” cried Ellen.

      “I have an idea”, said Ivan. “If we flap our wings like the butterfly maybe we can fly up to the fruit and pick it.” 

      So the little angels stood beneath a large branch with many pieces of fruit and flapped their wings just as hard and as fast as they could, but they barely got off the ground. 

      “Now what are we going to do?” asked Amber. “How will we get the fruit?”

      Then Oscar said, “I am strong. I will shake the tree so the fruit will fall down. Then we can pick it up and eat it.”

      So Oscar wrapped his arms around the tree and shook as hard as he could, but the tree didn't move and not one piece of fruit fell. 

      “Oh no”, cried Ellen. “We can't get the fruit, and it looks so good.”

      “Wait”, said Ivan. “I have another idea but we will have to work together. Oscar, let me stand on your shoulders.” Ivan climbed up on Oscar's shoulders and said, “I'm still not tall enough to reach the fruit. Ellen, climb up on my shoulders.” Up went Ellen and stood on Ivan's shoulders. 

      “I am still too short but I can almost reach it”, said Ellen. “Amber....”

      “I'm coming”, interrupted Amber. So Amber climbed atop the other three angels and reached a branch that had many different kinds of fruit. “I got it”, said Amber gleefully. Amber began grabbing the fruit and throwing it to the ground. There was red fruit, yellow fruit, orange, purple, and green fruit. Some of the pieces were large and some were small. Amber picked each piece in that branch and dropped it to the ground. When the branch had no more fruit left Amber hopped off of Ellen's shoulders and down to the ground. Then Ellen jumped down, followed by Ivan. Then all of the little angels gathered around the pile of fruit on the ground and tried to decide which kind they wanted to try first. 

      “I want a big red one”, said Oscar.

      “This yellow one is for me”, said Amber

      “I'm going to eat some of each color and see which kind I like best”, said Ivan. So the angels began to eat, first one kind of fruit and then another. 

      “That was good”, said Ellen. “I think I liked the green one the best.”

      “I liked the red one the best”, said Oscar. “It tasted so good and made me feel strong when I ate it.”

      “Yes”, agreed all the angels. “We do feel much stronger.”

      “We ate all our fruit”, said Amber. “Now I think I will go back to the place where I first opened my eyes. Maybe I will find someone who knows why the grass and the trees are exactly the same but we are different. Maybe they will know if it is alright for us to play together.”

      “We will come with you Amber”, said Ellen. “ We want to know too.” So the four little angels passed through the forest, crossed the stream, went through the woods on the other side of the stream, and skipped through the big meadow. When they arrived at the place where there were six trees on each side of the path where Amber first opened her eyes, they all sat down on the ground beneath one of the big trees. 

      “I had so much fun playing with all of you”, said Ellen.

      “Yes”, said Ivan. “But we still don't know why we look different.”

      “It makes me sad, because I want all of us to be friends”, said Amber.

      “Me too”, said Oscar. “I like playing with all of you.”

      As the little angels sat quietly on the ground, they saw a stranger crossing the meadow and coming toward them. He looked like an ordinary person. He was not pretty or beautiful to look at. He had no wings and wore a plain, white robe. But He was different. The way He walked, it was a princely walk that made the angels feel that He must be very important, like a prince or even a king. As He walked up to them He smiled and greeted them heartily. “Hello playful angels”, the stranger said. “Why are you so sad?”

      “Hello Sir”, said Amber. “We are sad because we have so many questions and no one can answer them.”

      “Maybe I can help”, replied the stranger. “What would you like to know?”

      “What is this beautiful place called?” asked Ellen.

      “This is Heaven, Ellen”, answered the stranger. “It was created by the Lord God.”

      “Did the Lord God make us too?” asked Ivan.

      “Yes”, said the stranger. “He made this place and everything in it, Ivan.”

      “Why did He do that?” asked Oscar.

      The stranger answered, “Because He wanted to share His great love with others, He created many angels and created this place where they could live, Oscar.”

      “What is the Lord God like?” asked Ellen.

      “He is very loving and kind. He is a Father to all who accept His love”, answered the stranger.

      Then Amber said, “Sir, we don't know if we should play together or not because we look different. And that makes us sad.”

      “Did you have more fun playing together or alone?” asked the stranger.

      “Together”, answered all the angels at the same time.

      “And when you wanted to eat some fruit could any of you get it by yourselves?” asked the stranger.

      “No”, replied the angels. 

      “But when you worked together you were able to get the fruit. You were created to become good friends. You should play together and soon our Heavenly Father will have tasks for you to do and you will need to work together as a team to get them finished”, said the stranger.

      Then Amber said, “But Sir, these trees are the same and every blade of grass is exactly alike. Why aren't we?”

      The stranger smiled at the little angel and with great kindness in his voice answered, “Amber, this is the wisdom of the Lord God our Father. He made the grass and trees alike to show that He could if it was best. But He made you different because He knew that this would be better for you. By being different you all have something valuable and special to add to creation. Your differences make you special, and yet you are alike in so many ways. Your needs are the same.”

      “Needs, Sir?” asked Ivan.

      “Yes Ivan”, said the stranger. “All of you need to be loved by your Heavenly Father and each other, and you all need a beautiful place to live. “Did you all feel stronger when you ate the fruit?”

      “Yes”, answered the playful angels. “We did indeed!”

      “You all needed something to eat, but each of you liked a different kind of fruit best. You need each other also, so you need to become good friends”, said the stranger.

      “Does our Heavenly Father love one of us more than the others? Does He have a favorite?” asked Amber.

      “No”, answered the stranger. “He loves all of you with all of His heart. He could not love you more. But you are all very special to Him.”

      “I'm so happy!” exclaimed Ellen. “ I like all of you so very much!”

      “Sir”, said Oscar. “ I saw some great big angels by the stream. Will I ever be big like that?”

      “No”, answered the stranger. “ Someday there will be human children and they will grow and get big but you playful angels will remain small and innocent and playful. But you will learn many lessons and as you do your wings will become strong and you will be able to fly.”

      “Sir, thank you for talking with us. We feel so much better now”, said Ivan.

      “You are welcome, playful angels”, said the stranger. But now I must go to the great city over the hill where our Heavenly Father lives.”

      The stranger turned and started to walk away when Amber suddenly blurted out,” Sir, you knew our names.”

      The stranger slowly turned and smiled. Then He said, “Yes Amber. I know everyone who lives here in Heaven.”

      “Sir, could you tell us who you are?” asked Amber.

      The stranger looked at the little angel with eyes full of love and in a very calm voice replied, “Yes Amber. My name is Jesus. Now I must go to the great city but we will talk again soon.” And as Jesus turned and walked away all four playful angels waved goodbye.

      “Now we know we can be friends”, said Amber.

      “I am so happy”, said Ellen.

      “So am I”, said Ivan.

      “Me too”, agreed Oscar. “I like playing will all of you.”

      “What shall we do now?” asked Ivan.

      “I don't know”, said Ellen. “But something is tickling my wrist!”

      All four playful angels looked down at Ellen's wrist to see the little orange butterfly that had landed there. Ellen held up her wrist so that all of the angels could see it.

      “It came back”, she said.

      “It is so beautiful”, said Amber.

      So the four little angels, now known as the playful angels, stood and admired the tiny butterfly, eagerly awaiting their next adventure.

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