Where'd The Butterfly Go?

As many of you know I am a mother of two children. My husband Art and I are fully enjoying the experience of raising our two year old daughter Lily and our eleven month old son Jack. Without a doubt, each day something occurs around here that is a great "story" to share with our family. It is a very busy time in our lives - whew!

This summer I am spending time trying to teach my daughter Lily how to swim (with some resistance).

Yesterday a beautiful yellow and black butterfly flew over us while we were dilly dallying in the pool. Lily and I both got soooo excited!! Why is it that whenever we humans see butterflies - we smile? We laugh? We reflect? We lighten up a little? What is it about butterflies that holds our eyes and our hearts captive?

Lily and I watched as this gorgeous winged insect gracefully fluttered above us and then off into the mountain landscape...then appearing again only moments later. I felt like a child again, anxiously waiting for it to return so we could watch together in wonder. What is it like to carry such colorful wings and to glide around so weightlessly?

It seems like everyone has a connection to a butterfly in one shape or form. We all have a butterfly story that touches our soul. A favorite butterfly story of mine is when Lily saw her first butterfly. After that first sighting, my husband Art and I were asked a minimum of twenty times a day "where'd the butterfly go?" So much so, that now when we cannot find something we teasingly say "where'd the butterfly go?" Art even wrote a poem titled "Where'd The Butterfly Go?" I won't embarrass him amd rewrite the whole thing but it is the sweetest gathering of words. Here is an excerpt:

Where'd the butterfly go?

Is he on the mountain?

Or is he in the fountain?

Where'd the butterfly go?

Is he on the spaghetti?

Or is he in the ravioli?

Where'd the butterfly go?

Is he in the shower?

Or resting on a flower?

Cont'd...

For myself, butterflies ignite youth, light heartedness, laughter and freedom. Experience seeing a butterfly with your child for the first time and it is a slice of heaven that you just can't put into words.