Hello friends,
I know you probably believe all I ever think about is politics and current events.
That simply is not all there is to me.
Below is a true story I experienced a few days ago:
NATURE'S SUBTLE BEAUTY
As we go through life, nature shares her beauty to us in many ways. Some subtle, some extreme. The extreme examples include marvels like the Grand Canyon and Niagara Falls. They are amazing and breath taking because of their immense size. However, it is the subtle beauty that is often overlooked yet they are the more profound.
Scenes such as two birds flying to and fro picking up grass and straw to build their nests to hold their precious eggs. It is the scent of blooming roses carried in the wind. It is the sound of birds singing in the morning and listening to the crickets and frogs in the darkness of night.
Today, I witnessed the sadness of nature. Death comes to all living things but it is usually not observed. It seems the death of smaller animals is a more heart breaking event to witness. Today, while walking in my backyard I noticed a butterfly in the grass barely moving. I got a small stick and tried to coax the butterfly to climb on to it but it refused. He moved only one wing.
As I looked at him I could see his color was faded and his wing was really thin. He continued to move his legs but he did not move. His wings were tattered on the top edge. After a few minutes I gently picked up the butterfly and carried him over to a blooming plant and placed him on a large green leaf. I then got a bottle cap of water and dropped a few drops next to his head. He did not seem to know the water was there. I watched him for a few more minutes and went into the house.
I waited about an hour and went to check on the butterfly. Sadly, he was dead. Looking at that beautiful small delicate creature laying still on that leaf I wondered about his life. How old was it? Why did he die? Did he create another butterfly? Mother nature gives us this sample of beauty only briefly then takes them away in death. She reminds us that mother nature is constantly moving forward. Flowers bloom and then wilt. Trees show us beautiful colors then shed them until bare. Puppies are born grow up, and they die. Caterpillars climb out of their cocoon and become beautiful butterflies and they too die.
Nature in her own way not only shows us her beauty, she teaches us about life. I am sad for the butterfly but it has reminded me of my own vulnerability. We have to watch for these subtle gifts from nature and take the time to witness their beauty before it goes away. Life is full of subtle beauty if we slow down and look around.
Noel Ison
