The morning is so pretty, the sky blue and cloudless, the sun clear and bright. A repeat of previous days. I love reruns! And this wonderful cool breeze, a prequel to the festive fall with all its colorful watercolors. I ate my breakfast in the swing listening to the calls and love songs of the birds. A hawk has been circling the neighborhood calling loudly for his mate. A squirrel got mad and chattered at me for several minutes. I could see him sitting on a fork of limbs high up in the oak tree. Couldn’t figure out what made him mad but he was telling the news. Maybe he was cussing the hawk. Saw a few chickadees and as always the handsome faithful cardinals. The fighting finches came to the yard, had a few quarrels, and left. I always think the finches give the cardinals heartburn.

Been chasing God’s winged jewels, a kaleidoscope of butterflies, all over the yard today. They didn’t seem to mind the intrusions, guess they’re used to me getting up close and in their faces. When they start dancing on the zinnias I can’t stay away. I’ve seen several yellow cloudless sulfurs, monarchs, an eastern tiger swallowtail, a silver spotted skipper, a zebra swallowtail, a sleepy orange, and some gulf fritillaries. Butterflies can be carried away by the wind, gobbled up by a songbird. Our lives are fragile just like the butterfly. We never know when life will darken and storm clouds boil up. We need to appreciate every day. We never know how tomorrow’s wind will blow. We all have struggles and challenges in our lives, changes we have to learn how to deal with. We have to be a caterpillar and crawl before we learn to embrace life as a butterfly.

Butterflies are symbols of spiritual rebirth and transformation. 2 Corinthians 5:17 states, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” We look at the butterflies magnificence and never think of the challenges it dealt with before it became a thing of such glorious beauty. Starts out as an egg, then turns into a caterpillar, then turns into a chrysalis, and with a struggle breaks free of the chrysalis to emerge as a wondrous creature. We, too, can embrace our struggles and learn from our mistakes. Life is always evolving and we are always undergoing transformations ourselves. We all have the ability to break from our own chrysalis and become something beautiful. We can spread our wings and cherish every day we’re able to fly.

Tonight’s moon, flung on a stage of twinkling stars by Father Sky, is a handsome luminous waxing gibbous, dressed in a crescent. Before the moon took center stage, the sun rolled down a horizon layered in pastel rainbow watercolors. So beautiful! Norman Vincent Peale wrote, “Shoot for the moon, because even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” Shooting for the moon takes a lot of hard work, aiming for things we think are beyond our grasp. But if we aim high and aren’t afraid to risk failure, we’ll have done our best taking a worthwhile and significant journey. We might not make it all the way to the moon but landing on the stars will bring us accomplishments of a road well travelled.

Life is so very, very short and we’re not promised a tomorrow. We need to live a life of kindness and love, focusing on what’s truly important to us, being grateful for every day God blesses us with. Psalm 90 says “teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Watch a butterfly dance in the sunshine and you’ll realize life is so precious and so fleeting. Life is truly a gift from a loving God.

“Butterflies are like angel’s kisses sent from heaven.” — Malia Kirk