A Million Butterflies

photo by John Mc Tarnaghan

As I woke in the wee hours one day last week, three words drifted into my mind: a million butterflies. A smile transformed my curmudgeon morning self. The weight of several long days lifted and I looked forward to living further from them.

I thought about a million butterflies most of the morning: vibrant colors reflected in light; creatures that once crawled, dancing in flight. I imagined mid air celebration as the transformed beauties defied the gravity that once held them captive.

By days end, I was back in a doctor's office with Sam. His chest hurt when he took a breath. "Only a little," he told the doctor. But she heard wheezing.

More medicine. Blood work. A breathing treatment. Mom worry. By the time I crawled into bed, I lugged a hundred pounds of emotional weight with me.

A million butterflies. A hundred pounds. Waves of weirdness in between.

"Then we will no longer be tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is Christ." (Eph. 4: 14 - 15 NIV)

Oh to remain steadfast. Grounded in Christ. Unmoved by circumstance. Dancing as one of a million butterflies.

Today it's a hope... and a choice.