"A man's heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps."

Proverbs 16:9

Brianna sat pouting on the swing in the backyard.  “This is a stupid house in a stupid place.  I don’t want to be in this stupid town.  There’s nothing to do here,” she thought to herself.  Brianna had just moved to Parson’s Cove with her grandparents, Doc and Mrs. Solomon.  They had lived in a much bigger town.  Her parents had been called from the Reserves into active duty, so she had to go live with her grandparents.  But they didn’t think her friends were very good, so they had moved her far away from them.  She had to change schools, too.  Now she was stuck in this small town that she was sure was at the end of the world.

She didn’t understand why her grandparents thought her friends were so bad.  She had never gotten into any real trouble, unless you count that time she had taken a purse at the mall without paying for it.  But that was only a little thing, wasn’t it?  Besides, it had been done on a dare.  Her friend, Jinks, had dared her to take the purse.  It was only worth about $10 anyway.  No big deal.  But then when she had gotten caught, her friend had left her.  Grandma had said that if Jinks had been a real friend, she would have stayed with her when she got into trouble.

Looking around the backyard, Brianna could see a lot of different things.  The house was a little run down.  It needed a paint job.  Over in one corner was a picnic table that was about to fall apart.  Then she noticed a squirrel scurrying up and down a tree.  Behind the yard, were a lot of  trees.  It was like a forest.  She could hear snaps and crackles here and there.  As she sat there, she began to wonder about all the bugs that lived in the forest.  She started to daydream as some of the noises started to get louder and louder….

The sound was coming from behind a rock.  “Boo hoo, hoo, hoo!”  Quickly, Attitude followed the sound of the cry until he spotted the source.  Leaning up against the rock was Wally Worm.

“What’s the matter, Wally?” Attitude asked as he tried to catch his breath.  “I heard you crying all the way from Babbling Brook.  Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m not hurt,” he sniffled.  “Robbie Robin was just here and tried to pull me apart.   He said we could play a simple game and in the end he would swing me from his beak. He pulled me so hard that it hurt, so I squirmed away.”

Attitude looked up at the sky for Robbie.  He couldn’t see the bird anywhere.  It was obvious that Robbie was playing more than a game with Wally – he wanted to eat Wally for dinner.  Robbie’s reputation in Friendly Forest was for being a sly bird.  He used despicable methods to get whatever he wanted.  Most forest creatures stayed away from him.  Attitude checked Wally over to make sure that he hadn’t been cut by Robbie’s beak.

“Wally, that wasn’t a game that Robbie was playing.  You need to be more careful when choosing friends. Robbie is not a good bird.  He uses others to get what he wants.  He is a liar and a cheat.  He’s been known to eat worms like you.”

“I know, Attitude.  It’s just that nobody wants to play with a worm.  I can’t play any of the sports the others play.  All I do is dig, dig, dig.  That’s why when Robbie came by to visit, I was so excited,” Wally sighed.  “Nobody loves me and everybody hates me.  So I think I’ll just go eat dirt!”

“Wally,” Attitude said in a very soft voice, “you are very important.  Why, the Creator in Heaven made you, so that alone makes you special.  He gave you the ability to change the chemical balance of soil in order for plants to grow much better.  As a matter of fact, that is what you were made to do.  Think of all the plants you help because you dig in the dirt.”

“I never thought of that,” Wally said.  “I guess digging isn’t such a bad thing.  The Creator must have thought it important.”

“He did.  He made everything to have a special purpose.  But Wally, remember to watch out for those who would like to trick you.  Robbie turned out to be a bad friend.  When you look for a friend, look for someone who cares about who you are inside.  As a matter of fact, the Creator’s Book says that a friend loves at all times.”

“Wow, I’d like a friend like that.  Attitude, will you be my friend?” Wally asked.

“Of course I will!” he answered.  “Come on.  Let’s go find some other friends.”

Brianna shook her head and wrinkled her nose.  “Where did that thought come from?” she wanted to know.  Then she remembered.  Grandma Solomon had told her that God had a plan for her life.  There must be a special reason she had moved to Parson’s Cove.  Maybe she would make some special friends here.