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like a butterfly . . .

The night air is turning cooler in the mid-atlantic region. The early autumn warm winds have turned cool as we move closer to Halloween. It is a great time to get outdoors and spend a little time with Mother Nature as she sheds her summer wardrobe and prepares us for the fall.

There is much to be learned from a walk in the park. It is the time of the year when mums strut their stuff. Each plant preening for just one more visit from the butterfly. Most of the butterflys have gone. A wiser man than I might know where they go. I just enjoy them

They don't seem to fly......no, they flit.........from here to there and back again. One day they are here and then....gone again.

I was just sitting on a rock, watching the last butterfly of the season. I thought .... one small creature creating so much beauty and grace as it moves through it's own life cycle.

I realized that love is like that butterfly. It shows up and dazzles you with beauty and grace. You sit in wonder. You enjoy every movement. Days can be spent pondering the ease with which it captures your spirit.

Then the fall comes, as it must. The butterfly is gone.

It was never yours anyway.

Butterflies, like love, are to be enjoyed for the moment. They should never be taken for granted. They should never be expected to more than they are............butterflies. Love is the same.

Don't despair.........fall will turn to winter and winter will turn to spring. Spring will bring flowers and if you are lucky, a butterfly again.

This too shall pass . . .

Posted by John MacArthur on 10/21/2009 02:07 AM

Comments (37)

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37 Comments on like a butterfly . . .

OCT

Hi John, Good post. Thanks for sharing.

Best - Sash

John, Kinda funny, as I was watching butterflies yesterday while out on a job. Yes they do flit from flower to flower...

Helping you live your American dream...

John, oh how I miss the beautiful falls in West Virginia, but then I realize I do not miss the snow and ice that follows.

Well, that piece of poetry will not help me to enjoy winter, but we persevere.

Now, I have to remember to turn the outside faucets off and drain the lines. Get ready for winter, Lenn.

In the meantime, I'll enjoy the fall colors and my mums trying to survive the chilly nights. Shucks, I don't really want to wait for spring, I'm going to plant some tulip bulb today and attempt to force some blossoms for mid-winter.

that was really nice.

our change of seasons here is unique to southwest florida, but i was raised in NH and still have vivid memories of distinct changes as the calendar progressed.

John, we had a really cold winter last year by my standards but whatta you gonna do? I appreciate all the seasons, winter is a chance to recharge the soil, and get the plants ready for spring and butterflies.

John,

I look forward to the seasonal changes. I will say though, that they seem to be moving faster the older I get.

I have my fall screen saver on my computer now too.

Rich

John:

The seasons, as is life, are to be enjoyed. Unfortunately, I don't relish the thought of winter coming on, but it happens every year. We just have to find some enjoyment in that too.

John, as long as we live spring always returns.

I love this part of the US because we get all four seasons. It is wonderful to see nature at work and to enjoy the simple beauty of a butterfly.

I love your writing style. It speaks to the poet in me. It is a gift to enjoy the wonders of nature and the beauty that surrounds us.

Inagaddadavida baby! (translation: In a Garden of Eden)

Hi John:

We were watching various butterflies yesterday while lunching outside in our yard. Thanks for the reminder to take a moment and enjoy the season...All the best, Alexandra

I like the post and you bring in some great imagery, thanks.

John,

Pardon the pun, but what an "uplifting" butterfly post! There is beauty all around us....

Thanks for sharing. Have a wonderful day!

Beautiful insight. Well written. Great imagery.

Thanks for taking the time to share the moment.

I love butterflies, but while they WILL go away soon, love doesn't necessarily (24 years and counting here).

Leslie

Thanks for your writing John. It's a nice refreshing retreat from the daily grind.

I was going to make a similar comment as Leslie. Does love have to be short-lived, for only one season? I can see the comparison with the beauty and delight of a butterfly with the feelings of being in love but it would be so sad to think it would always have to end with the changing of the seasons.

I would like to be more optimistic and believe that love is everywhere if you take the time to look for it.

Shari

If a butterfly flaps its wings in one part of the world, does it create a wind storm in another?

I loved this - and yes, butterflies do flit...from flower to flower. They were all over my yard this summer.

JMAC, altho I'm not a fan of winter , it does mean we are inching closer to the SPRING market !! Now about tonites dinner, oh ya PIZZA !!!!!!!!!

J-Mac - your butterflies come South to share a bit of you and the wonder of your seasons with me...

hugs-

John, Just a Lovely Post to Ponder.

Funny, I float like a butterfly, but sting like a bee.

Well, John, I hope this doesn't mean that you are struggling without love right now. I am in a relatively "new" relationship and it does amaze me how powerful love can be! It's great and I'm very happy - and, after a bad divorce, I really wasn't sure if it would come around again.

Ah yes, John, the loss of the butterflies. But the welcoming of the spectacular leaves, the cool crisp air, the smell of wood burning stoves, and the cold of winter inviting us inside to the warmth of our homes, families, and friends. (Just call me Pollyanna! :-) ).

Beautiful writing, I enjoyed this tremendously!

Hi John -- Interesting analogy and very well written. Having lived in the DC area for a long time and now here in Greater Cleveland -- you guys have nothing to complain about with old man winter except that is: the traffic jams when 2" of snow hits, and the milk and bread being gone from all the grocery stores. I remember when I commuted from Merrifield to Bethesda (16 miles door to door) in rush hour during a winter storm (just 4-5 inches) and it took 3 hours to get home -- they could have installed parking meters on the American Legion Bridge!

I am humbled.......featured ? so many responses.... let me begin..

Sash - so early in the morning and you took the time to stop and read, thank you.

Michael - it is such a dainty trip they take. it makes me sure that we need to enjoy our journey.

Dave - so you do know the truth in the lyrics "almost heaven, west virginia"

Lenn - spent time in the yard. went to see the beautiful mums Lourdes brought home. gone..bambi snack

Jay - each region has it's own seasonal flow. memories of places and times past are stored in the rich corner of our brain.

David - the beauty of weather is that it truly is impugned to the desires of prognosticators.

Rich - seasons that seem to race by are a little clue that we are racing by. the seasons remain the same. if they go by in a flash.......take a minute and enjoy one day. let's put together another AR meet. A tuesday or Friday would be grand.

Claudette - and as winter wraps it's icy fingers around our shortened days, aren't we reminded of the warmth of home, friends and loved ones. we seek them out. a reminder we all need at least once a year.

Bill - and it is that certainty that gives substance to faith and things unseen.

Dan - every time I begin to bemoan the fact I was born right here in DC, I stumble across yet another reason that it truly has been a blessing. Had I been born elsewhere, I never would have been where I was when the love of my life walked through the door.

Geri - thank you for such a nice complement. words written can be lost if no one stops to read them. you completed my circle.

Scott - yes......we all have our garden and we all have our eden. we only have to realize our place in time.

Alexandra - and you know the power of sharing special moments. joy doubled. thank you for sharing that lunch was special and my you both enjoy many more.

James - and thank you for stopping by......affirmation.

Colleen - why thank you for sharing.

Mike - thank you for stopping by and sharing that i hit my mark.

Leslie - ah, finally a note about the core issue. you are correct. the lesson is the butterfly is our love. the seasons represent a life span. the butterfly is the beauty of the love we share.

Shari - hmmm.... so you know the secret. love does not die. there are times we kill it through indifference. but our killing is quite personal. the love continues. it only seeks another heart the way the butterfly flits to another flower.

Raymond - and why is it that your response is so late in the game. and although, i have heard this reference point, i am never sure if the butterfly causes the hurricane or if the butterfly merely rides the winds of change.

Ruthmarie - it is good to hear that a friend has such a wonderful yard.

Michael - winter ? spring market ? oops, i see you have the real facts.........Pizza

Inna - when you comment......i feel the warmth of friendship from head to toe....hugs back at you.

Jane - spend a few moments on the post, then get out and ponder the beauty outside your door.

Aaron - that lifestyle my be reminiscent of a young Cassius Clay..... but even he slowed down and today no longer floats nor stings........he just moves gently from place to place.

Emily - I have never been in a better place. It was here all the time. It was my task to allow the love that was there for me. Once I opened up to that, the world of joy rushed in. You see, love is always outside the door. We have to use the key of loving ourselves to open it. Lourdes loves me and I revel in every bit of that from the moment my eyes open in the morning until the close at the end of the day.

Marney - you are a kindred spirit. I wrote another piece some years ago about the seasons. And I love them as they come and go. Pollyanna is not a dirty word. The joy we share as we tary there... ; )

John, I love this post, and I love the new photo. And it's like you wrote this just for me. Made my heart skip a beat!

That was lovely. Love cannot be taken for granted though hopefully it stays longer than the butterfly.

OCT

Sounds great!

I usually get a bit depressed in the fall because I am a hot weather person. But last fall I was in hot weather in Houston getting medical treatment. This year I am home and a cancer survivor. I wake up and smell the crisp air, I look out and the trees are finally turning color, and I can't wait until it gets cold enough so that I can "see my breath". Breathing makes the fall worthwhile, and I will never look at it again with depression.

What a beautiful sentiment. As always John...you are artistic in all ways ;)

Lovely, thanks for sharing...it was kind of nice just floating with your butterfly as I read. I have been working a lot and this post offered refreshment. I think I am going to go home and hug my family!

The butterfly, like love, is not gone, as the memory lives on!

NOV

Thank you John.

NOV

Nice Post and Nice Pictures. I love the change of seasons and look forward to each in turn.

NOV

Lovely - We have a saying in Croatian - "poslje kise dolazi sunce"..........after the rain comes the sunshine.......the butterfly has been here to teach us many a lesson.........like the grasshopper :=)

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