This week a friend of mine told me he was waiting for a sign from God. It’s not the first time I have heard that lately and I started thinking about how many people are waiting for a sign and whether or not they get one. As I thought about it, it occurred to me that maybe the sign we’re all looking for has been there all along. It’s like when you’re looking for something and it’s right in front of you, but you just can’t see it. Like looking for your sunglasses and they’re on your head or opening the fridge and staring at the contents, forgetting why we opened the door in the first place. Or turning the key to start your car when it’s already started. (I can’t be the only one who’s done that, can I?)
So I came up with a list that I think we all tend to miss once in a while. Maybe you could submit some too.
The sun came up today. We have a new start with the start of each new day. Many didn’t get that today. We’re pretty lucky that WE did. It means there’s still hope.
Somebody loves us. Foils and foibles. Mistakes and all. We are loved.
We might not be where we want to be, but thank God we’re not where we used to be.
When circumstances change we can either change with them or watch from the sidelines as life goes on without us.
It’s not what happens to us, but what we do with it that counts. Every difficulty holds opportunity for growth. That’s how we learn.
I see everything as a sign. Light, color, sound, smells. Everything. What’s the sign? That God loves us. The entire of creation is there for our enjoyment. Laughter is a sign. Tears are a sign. Even death is a sign that our time here is limited and we should make the most of each day because no one is guaranteed a tomorrow.
If you’re looking for a sign today, stop for a moment and put your hands in front of you, palms up. Now, think about what you can do with those hands. They can build a skyscraper or tear down a wall. They can hold another hand or hug someone. They can plant a garden or play a song. They can clap in appreciation or pat a shoulder in encouragement. The possibilities are endless. Just your two hands can move mountains.
Your two hands are a pretty big sign that your potential is limited only by your imagination.
Think about it.
I guess today I’m wondering, “What’s your sign?”
Welcome to our newest addition to The Butterfly Project, our Butterfly Blog! I am a complete Newbie at this, so I hope you will bear with me as I try to get the hang of it!
Today, as I was sitting down to write this, I was overwhelmed by the images on MSN from Myanmar and China. I was struck by the total devastation and the raw emotion of entire nations that have lost thousands upon thousands of lives in the blink of an eye.
I don’t know about you, but it’s a good day to be me. If you can read this, it’s a good day to be you, too, because there are and untold number of people who will never read anything again. My heart is heavy with that knowledge.
In the midst of the chaos that has taken over our planet, it is my hope that each and every person who reads this will find some kind of comfort in the knowledge that tomorrow is a new day for us and not to take it for granted.
In my part of the world the trees are blooming and the long awaited Spring is still trying to arrive. I hear from my little “butterflies” in other parts of the world that it is the same for you. With that in mind, I was thinking about the seasons of life and how they reflect Mother nature. If Spring has been a long time in coming in your life, this message is for you…
There is a tree in my back yard that is my personal marker of the seasons and a constant reminder that life “goes on”. It is a mighty and massive tree that stretches far into the sky and displays a vast and abundant covering of leaves in the Spring and Summer, and is the last to drop its leaves in the fall. Each and every day I gaze at that tree and reminds me that in spite of how things look right now, change is inevitable and a new season will come.
This year for me and almost everyone I know, winter was a very tough season and for some strange reason it just didn’t want to let go. We had more snow than there had been in a decade and just when it looked like it was over, another bout of bad weather came back through. I can’t tell you how many “Will Winter never end?” comments were thrown around or how many truly grumpy people it has been my unique priviledge to encounter this year. Okay, I might have been one of them a time or two…
This week, though, I was walking in my neighborhood and the streets are lined with blooming trees as far as the eye can see and the fragrance of them permeates everything. I stood right up under them and breathed it all in as clouds of pink blossoms exploded all around me and it was glorious. In that moment I realized that because the Winter was so hard, the long awaited Spring was all the more powerful and it might just be my imagination, but I have never seen flowers like that before.
Which brings me to my point, really. No matter how things look or how long it seems to take, Spring will come, and it will be spectacular.
It will indeed.
If anyone knows of any aid programs for Myanmar or China (they are restricting foreign aid), please contact us at wings@thebutterflypoem.org. We are looking for ways to contribute and would appreciate any information on organizations that are allowed in there.