Richly Blessed

July 21:

These days, Butterflies abound. A few days ago, I drove south to Wren Song, which is 3 miles away. Butterflies were everywhere on the gravel road which was wet and sandy. Many were newly hatched Red Spotted Purples. I drove very slowly, so as not to hit them. Some moments, I felt like I was driving at the same speed I could have walked. How beautiful it would have been to have walked through all of those Butterflies.

Yesterday, this Butterfly landed on the deck. Obviously, s/he is older and tattered. Perhaps some of the tattering came from the recent storms. In this brief encounter, I am reminded that Life, whether it is in a Butterfly's Lifetime or a Human's, is short.

I remember a Dear Friend, Sharon Oldham Lambeth, who taught me much about living in her dying from cancer. That last summer, which I believe was 1993, she said that she would wake up each day and know she only had so much energy. From knowing that energy limit, she would choose what she would do for the day. At the time, she hoped to choose to come to our Garden because we were on the City Garden Tour up North. She told me she might need to sit all around the walk through the Garden, but she hoped to be there. And she was.

On this day, we were joined by Dear Friends Bill, Daisy, Leo, and Posy. In the middle of our Dinner on the Deck, 2 new Red Spotted Purples flew right through the middle of our Table. We are richly blessed.