Butterflies are FREE...and so are WE!!

Every once in awhile, an angel comes into your life and you count every blessing for who she is and what she brings to your life!!  To me, that is Tee - Teshina Wilson.  We first met her when she was a resident in UMDNJ medical school here in South Jersey.  Never had I experienced a medical professional who was truly a partner in my caring and supported me as the Team Leader.  She totally believes in her patients and it is important to her to give to her community.  So you ask, why the butterflies??  For me, the way to give back and say thanks is to give the gift of my photographs.  I chose the butterfly at the top of this blog...Tee later wrote that she wanted to have butterflies all over the offices of Henrietta Johnson Medical Center in Wilmington, DE.  I am hoping to oblige.  I have the gift of SEEING and giving.  She has the gift of caring and healing.  WE are both filled with love and compassion.  For this we are all grateful!!

Butterfly Buddies!!

Last year I went on an adventure to visit my friend Beth in Iowa.  One day we decided to travel west in the state - on our way to Omaha to meet up with our friend Heather.  We were traveling on the straight ahead highway when I saw a sign for Bridges of Madison County.  We made a detour so that I could see one of the covered bridges.  While we were walking back to the car, I found this butterfly on the ground.  It's wings seemed to continue to flicker so I gently picked it up and we put it on my leg, resting on my jeans in the bright warm sunshine.  Maybe it would come back to life.  We saw some motion - maybe a few wiggles and a bit down the road, Beth stopped the car and she put it gently by the side of the road - hopefully it might come back to life and go off to find its friends.
Now we were butterfly buddies - connected by our memory - and connected to the fact of our attempt to rescue the butterfly.
A few weeks ago, I met a new friend - Devorah Ahavah - means love you know - and we talked about working together - her poetry and my photography.  One of the poems we chose to focus on is called Butterfly Buddies - how totally appropriate.  Here are just a few snippets of the poem
                "Hi, I'm Dana.  I'm a caterpillar.
                  I want a full life - but not one of fluff and filler"
 It's about Dana's journey as a caterpillar and what happens to her on that adventure.  She talks about her friend Dan, another butterfly and how he fixed his view on the world versus how she did it (not giving away the story though!!)
Dana talks about change - METAMORPHOSIS - what happened to her and what lessons she taught/shared with Dan.   The poem ends like this
       "Butterfly Buddies - we'll float on the breeze,
         bringing beauty to the world, if you please."
That's our intention - maybe Devorah Ahavah and I are Butterfly Buddies.  We know we totally value the beauty in the world and that we bring it to others.   This week Bill and I are going to the Butterfly Exhibit at the Academy of Natural Sciences Museum in Philadelphia.  I can only imagine our adventures and what we will see!!  Be sure that I will share...and then you can read then when our book is ready!!   

What Does FREEDOM Mean to YOU!?!?

A few weeks ago, I had a doctor's appointment to talk about some possibilities going on in my body.  As I was about to get in the car to go, I looked over at the butterfly bush and saw FIVE of these glorious beauties just gently floating around the deep purple flowers and being FREE!  Yes, I know this picture is a thistle and it is from yesterday, but same butterflies!!  Being very still and watching them (a behavior I have not engaged in as much as I used to, but am recovering!!), I thought about what it means to be FREE!!  And this fits in with my trip to Iowa and Nebraska.  I had 7 luscious days of no real responsibility to ponder life, self and surroundings.  It was so perfect.  Today a friend asked me what I noticed about the differences in the culture.  I was challenged to answer because I was just focusing on who I was with and what I liked where I was.  Interesting.  I saw the similarities - not considering statistics, but FUN!  As I think on it, isn't that a kind of Freedom in itself?!?  I was being in the present moment and enjoying every bit of it!!  Now to carry that feeling home and live it daily!  Can be done.

What does being FREE mean to you??

Write and share your thoughts.  I would appreciate the conversations.

martiemol@aol.com