It was the late fifties. I was but a mere lad, my being still permeated with the innocence of youth. At the age where imagination runs rampant and anything is possible. Perhaps a message from outer space… or perhaps even from a distance beyond space. On that fateful day, I was strolling across the square of my little hometown of Benton, Ohio when a most amazing thing occurred. In my path, a messenger from beyond came whizzing down directly in front of me. It whirled to a stop at my feet, much like a helicopter might alight. Its bulbous head was attached to a winglike appendage. Had it dropped out of Heaven? Had an angel lost a wing? Was I the first person on Planet Earth to witness such an event? Why might I have been so chosen? I picked up the little traveler from the great beyond and admired it in wonderment. What could it possibly be? I took it home and from our second-story porch I dropped it several times, watching in awe as it twirled to the ground. I believed I alone in the vast universe had received such a messenger from above. Imagine my surprise when a few days later at school I saw a few more messengers scattered across the parking lot. My curiosity got the better of me, and I inquired of my teacher concerning this strange phenomenon. “It’s a seedpod from a maple tree,” he replied. “They drop in the spring and twirl away, hoping to find a landing spot where they can grow.” At my house we only had weeping willow trees. No maples had ever graced our lawn. Recently I was reminded of that mysterious invader from above and was marveling at how God’s creation worked. Those seedpods were created to twirl. I believe God has created us humans in the same fashion. We are intended to twirl, swirl, jump for joy, and praise our Creator just as that little maple seedpod did on that day so many years ago. As I further contemplated that memory, a story came to mind. A story I call “The Seedling.” That story is now a gift book entitled, “THE SEEDLING” A love story in nature. That small mysterious invader from above was created to twirl, and so were we. We are intended to twirl, swirl, jump for joy, praise our creator—and be born to new life.