Wings of God

I have an affinity for butterflies. Many of you that know me well, know this about me and those of you that don't know me as well, may have picked up on this.
Lots of people think butterflies are a beautiful part of nature, and they are, but for me they are much more than that.

When I was turning forty, I was feeling pretty low about my life, my purpose, the friendships I had, my health; pretty much everything. And the fact that I was still single and childless made me feel like a failure in life.
In my search for a deeper meaning to life and more happiness, I was introduced to a technique called Guided Imagery by a holistic nurse practitioner friend of mine. Using this technique I discovered my Inner Advisor, the monarch butterfly!
An Inner Advisor is a wonderful source of wisdom and intuition that lies within yourself. It sounds kind of strange, I know, but it gave me a sense of peace and helped me to find answers to questions that I had been struggling with. My friend always says, "You have all the answers yourself, you just have to be still enough to hear them!"
After I had discovered my butterfly Inner Advisor, I saw butterflies everywhere! I'm sure they were there before, but my senses to them were so heightened, that I noticed them so much more. It was and still is a very cool experience! I find myself gasping when I see one still!
About six months after being introduced to the butterfly in this new and exciting way, my sister was diagnosed with leukemia. I ended up being her perfectly matching bone marrow donor, due in part to the fact that I never had children of my own...talk about finding purpose!
Through that whole ordeal the butterfly images helped me to cope with all that was going on and literally the miracles that were taking place. You see these butterflies, for me, are not a replacement for God, but rather an extension of God; something tangible and beautiful that He created. I feel such a greater connection to God and I feel blessed to have discovered this amazing source of love!

Yesterday I went to the Green Bay Botanical Gardens and shot these amazing photos of butterflies. At one point I was surrounded by monarch butterflies and was brought to tears by the amazing power of that moment.
They are incredible creatures that represent change for so many because of the metamorphosis they go through in their short lives. Recently a friend shared this quote with me, "The Butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough."
We all have enough time to do all we want in life if we use our time wisely and make every moment count. Yesterday, I chose to spend my time with the butterflies and I couldn't be happier about my choice! Enjoy these wings of God!