Borboleta

On Friday my friend Shannon spent the afternoon with me.  It was so beautiful that we decided to drive to the formal gardens up the hill.  The windows in the car were open and a Monarch butterfly fluttered in and just about kissed Shannon's nose before it fluttered right back out. 
"That's never happened to me before!" Shannon laughed. 

Photo by Bgrace

Then Saturday, I was working at the kitchen table and Sarah came in excitedly from the porch shouting, "Mom," I found a chrysalis!  She put it on the rug by the door and left it for a minute.  When she came back she shouted again, "Mom," it's ALIVE!!"  Sure enough, there was a beautiful butterfly, wings shining new silkiness in the sunlight.  Sarah put her finger out and it climbed right up.  She giggled as it crawled along her skin and up her arm, tickling her with each step.  Sarah was gentle and careful not to crush its fragile legs.  We took some pictures and then quite reluctantly Sarah opened the screen door, walked to the edge of the deck and held it out to the wind.  Soon it was up and off.

Borboletas...
They are so beautiful.
We are often tempted to cage them. 
Keep them for our own pleasure. 

So I am teaching my girls.  To enjoy beauty, but not steal life. 
To give it freedom, to let beauty spread
Her wings and fly.

Maybe that is why they visit us so often...