There’s a fable, centuries old, about a small community deep in a dank, dark forest. This village never felt direct sunlight, the trees were so tall and thick. One day a young village girl saw a butterfly — obviously lost — no one had ever seen a butterfly before; no one knew what a butterfly was. This was
so enchanting to the girl, she began following as it flew through the forest, so thick that she often turned sideways to squeeze in between trees.
Thoroughly enchanted, she kept following — suddenly she reached the edge of the forest — the butterfly flew into a meadow with hundreds of other butterflies, flowers and fragrances, and sunlight — the likes of which she had never experienced before. So spell-bound by
the deep comfort of warmth and the miracle of nature, she laid down to bask in it . . . to take it all in. The warmth was relaxing — she fell deeply asleep and dreamed of this world she had never witnessed before.
Late in the day she awoke; the sun was setting; the sky was turning all colors of yellow, red and orange — she stood up and hurried back into the deep, dark, dank forest toward her village. It became
darker and she felt lost — eventually stopping to find her direction, but she could not. Afraid and alone, she rested for the night and in the morning members of her village, searching frantically, found her. She was scolded severely, and when she told her story, no one believed her — no one believed there could be such a place of beauty and joy. They punished her for wandering off, and they punished her for making up the story...they simply could not believe in such a
place.
This is a story of those wonders in you, the ones you hold secret, the ones you’re certain no one will believe.
Our prayer is that you believe in your butterflies; that you follow them regularly; that you bask in their fields of warmth, beauty and joy; that you follow this path with courage when darkness seems to be everywhere. The meadows of your wildest dreams are just a
butterfly away — take time to observe the flowers — smell the fragrance.
