Butterfly

This morning as I was looking for the right necklace to match my stay at home outfit (yes- I am one of those people), I came across a butterfly pin that made me pause.

Mind you, I had seen this pin on many occasions while looking for the right accessory for the day. And usually I just quickly scanned past it because it made me feel uncomfortable.

You see, I made this butterfly despite every ounce of my being wanting to do nothing of the sort.

I was in the hospital (as a patient, not a doctor), feeling ill and despite my usual optimistic nature, I just wanted peace and quiet.

Into my room comes a bright and cheery volunteer artist who insisted I make an art piece to keep my mind centered and bring me a bit of peace.

I wanted to tell her to please please go away.

But I decided to give in and partake of what she had to offer.

Picked the butterfly.

Colored it.

Made sure to do my best to ensure the colors and patterns were symmetrical. (My internal mechanism of being able to control something in my life when everything else was out of my control).

And after she shrunk the artwork with heat, she added a pin to the back and handed it back to me.

It wasn’t half bad.

I made sure the butterfly came home with me and placed it with my other jewelry but never brought it out because it reminded me of a tough time.

Today I looked at it and thought, “Hey butterfly, we’ve both come a long way”.

So I brought it out.

Held it for a while.

And was truly grateful.

Grateful that I was not in the same place I was when I made it.

Grateful that I have today and am looking forward to tomorrow.

Planning to soar.

Reminds me of the lyrics Deniece Williams sang in 1984;

“Black butterfly, set the skies on fire
Rise up even higher
So the ageless winds of time can catch your wings.”