“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” Maya Angelou

Maybe you know me well enough to know about my obsession with butterflies and maybe you don’t, but most people have no idea where my love of butterflies really came from.  There really is something amazing and special about butterflies.  Something that most people don’t think that much about, but when you take the time to think about the amazing transformation a caterpillar goes through to become a butterfly, it really is a remarkable thing.

My grandma, Ardy, shares my love of butterflies and truly has been the person who has helped me to understand the true significance of these amazing creatures.  The story really started (from my memory anyway) when my great aunt was diagnosed with cancer.  During the time while she was battling cancer, butterflies kept coming into the picture.  When my great aunt passed away, her daughter and my grandma were cleaning out the house.  One of the things they noticed was that the wallpaper in the kitchen had butterflies on it.  Over the many years that she lived in the house, neither had noticed the butterflies on the wallpaper.  In her passing, the butterflies were there to comfort them.

As the year passed and the time approached for what would be my great aunt’s birthday, my grandma was feeling very sad.  This was when the butterfly appeared.  My grandma was outside at her house sitting on a lawn chair.  As she sat there, a beautiful butterfly flew in and landed on a lawn chair next to her.  It sat there for quite a while and then flew away.  The cool thing about it was that this happened on my great aunt’s birthday! 

Ever since this time, the butterfly has been a very special presence in our lives.  They seem to come at times when we need comfort the most.

 
When you think about the life cycle of a butterfly and what it has to go through to became a thing of beauty, it really does correlate with the human life experience.  We must all spend time in a chrysalis (trials) and then we must break free of the chrysalis to be transformed into something amazing.  If we don’t go through the hard times, we can’t really become who God created us to be.  If we use trials as means to something better, the beauty within all of us can shine through.  Going through the process is never easy and it some times feels never ending, but if in the end we can become as beautiful as a butterfly, we have succeeded. 

I will forever be thankful for the presence of butterflies in my life and for my grandma teaching me about how very special these “little miracles” really can be!  Next time you see a butterfly, reflect on just how special it really is and you will be amazed at how a little butterfly can lift your spirits when you most need it. 

The butterfly often forgets it once was a caterpillar. Swedish Proverb