As a child, I visited a distant relative’s mink farm. My memory of that farm was of a building full of caged, noisy, smelly animals, and of being told not to get to close to the cages, or the mink would bite.

Would you like a goat in your backyard? I’m sure you goat people out there would stand in their defense (I would stand outside de fense), but I can do without a smelly, obstinate animal butting me and trying to eat my clothes.

Worms, anyone? Now there’s a tempting thought—growing them for a living. I find enough in my garden (when I do garden) to last me a lifetime.

I remember walking through a very high-end store in a very high-end mall, just to look at what some people buy. Sales Associates wearing black, high-end clothes were scurrying around, looking very important (as I’m sure they were. Looking after hangers-full of mink, fox, silk worms, etc. could be very stressful, especially if any of them went missing—the clothing, not the critters).

I also walked through a store that sold nothing but cashmere stuff. (I contemplated buying something, but realized that it was either buy the sweater, or feed my family for a year).

Isn’t it amazing how important and worthy these little creatures have become, yet God loves you even more than these, His creation. We never have to impress Him. He even loves you if you don’t have a mink hanging in your closet.

(Hey—don’t get me wrong. I’m not against people having silk blouses, etc., and I’m not out to eradicate mink or worms. And if someone out there was just getting ready to box up a couple of cashmere sweaters for me, my best color is green. Or blue.)