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Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Butterflies and Birds Nest's.....

"The butterfly counts not the months but moments, and has time enough."

~Rabindranath Tagore~
Today I wanted to share a beautiful butterfly story with you and show you what I have been working on recently. Through a series of fortunate events I "met" Mildred and we share an email correspondence which has greatly blessed me. Mildred recently started to blog. You can visit her here, at Nalley Valley, please go over and give her a warm welcome. She shared with me a beautiful butterfly story and with her permission, I share it with you.

Mildred and her mother were the best of friends even after her marriage to her husband, John. Six short years after their marriage, Mildred's father became seriously ill. She and John sold their house and moved in to help care for him until his passing. Before his death, She and John promised that they would care for her visually impaired mother until her passing.Mildred and John sought out a home in a quiet rural setting with lots of space for them all to be able to enjoy nature. They found the perfect setting with some acreage and a yard full of lovely roses, butterfly bushes, and irises. A perfect fit for them as Mildred and her mother shared a deep love for gardening. They spent countless hours pouring over seed catalogs and choosing plants and flowers with the names of friends and family and planting memory gardens.Although her mother could not see, Mildred provided stimulation for her other senses. The sweet smell of blooming flowers permeated the garden, twittering birds and a babbling creek would serenade them, sunshine warmed them as the texture of soil, petals, and leaves caressed their hands as they worked side by side in the haven of their home which they called, "Circle of Love".For six wonderful years, Mildred, John, and her mother "have been blessed each day with our peaceful patch of God's wonderful creation surrounded by lovely scented roses and butterfly bushes alive with the flutter of both butterflies and hummingbirds."
Sadly, her mother's health began to decline and her time in the garden grew less and less and in home Hospice care became necessary. Even though her mother could not "see" out her bedroom window, her hospital bed overlooked all of God's beauty where Mildred would daily describe the scenes to her in her last months. They spent countless hours together, Mildred reading to her or playing music video's for her mother's listening pleasure. She was especially comforted by "No More Night" by David Phelps.As her mother became restless in her confinement, the Hospice nurse suggested that Mildred give her small towels to fold to keep her hands busy and to make her feel useful. Another generous blogger who knew of this sent her a box of vintage linens with interesting trims and textures for her mother. A particular favorite was a hanky with a crocheted butterfly on the corner. One day after giving her mother a manicure Mildred snapped this photo of her Mother's hands with the hanky, never dreaming of the significance the butterfly would later take on.After six months in the care of Hospice, Mildred's mother, her best friend, passed away. The Hospice nurse stepped out to the flower garden to give the family time alone as they gathered around her mothers bedside. At about the time her mother took her last breath, a butterfly landed on the nurse's hand. Upon hearing this Mildred grabbed her camera and headed to the garden. The sun was so brilliant that she could not see the image in the viewfinder but she snapped anyway. Much to her great delight the image was extremely vivid in every tiny detail.
Mildred's mother was blind the last thirty years of her life. One of the things her mother loved most was to sit in the garden surrounded by flowers and herbs as the feel and sound of the butterflies and hummingbirds whispered around her.
In some ancient cultures a butterfly is seen as the personification of a persons soul and symbolizes rebirth into a new life after being inside a cocoon for a period of time. Mildred's mother was cocooned in a world of physical darkness in her blindness for a period of time. When her spirit was released she was welcomed into a new life of the light and love of her Savior, where the lyrics of her favorite song were at last realized,

"See over there, there's a mansion that's prepared just for me,

where I will live with my Savior eternally."
God's last gift to Mildred was the memory of her beloved mother in a beautiful butterfly in the garden.

All of the above photos are courtesy of Mildred. The one of her beautiful mother was taken in their beloved garden a few short weeks before her passing.

NOTE: I chuckle as I finish writing this, believe it or not, a flutter caught my eye as I typed the ending sentence. Thinking it was just a leaf I turned my head to see a beautiful butterfly resting just beyond the edge of the porch of my writing cottage. I think of the quote at the top of this post and of Mildred's story, perhaps butterflies are a nature lesson from God. Their lifespan is very brief yet there is time enough for them to accomplish their life's task. They bring bits of beauty
into the world in and of themselves and with pollination they spread even more beauty far and wide. They make the most of every moment.

Below is a peek at my latest little creation, a birds nest pin.
I had this idea rattling around in my head for a few days and decided to see if I could make it a reality. I am quite pleased with the results but still need to work out a few kinks in the design. The nest is woven from wires and fibers. Three blue glass bead "eggs" rest inside. The nest rests on a suede tree branch tipped with leaves cut from a scrap of velvet.

I plan to make a few and have idea for some different designs as Christmas gifts. The pin could be worn on the lapel of a jacket, used to secure a scarf, or to adorn the brim of a hat. I may use my loom and make knit hats and scarves to go with the pins.

I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Blessings,
Miss Sandy

21 comments:

AmyB said...

Your nest pin is absolutely wonderful --- terrific texture. Don't you love it when ideas come to fruition? Thank you for the butterfly story and for Elizabeth Rowe's exquisite poem on praise. Yeah for your husband for saying "let's get away for the day" the other day. Always find inspiration here. Bless you for that. ~ Amy Bauer

Anonymous said...

Dear Sandy, My husband and I both cried when reading your lovely tribute to Mother. Your eloquent words tell the butterfly story so well. I am reminded of Phillipians 1:3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you...
Thank you for sharing the gift God has so clearly bestowed upon you with all of us. I love the little bird's nest pin. I think it would be adorable on a scarf or a hat. Blessings to you this beautiful day. Mildred

Lori said...

Miss Sandy, thank you to you and Mildred for sharing this beautiful story of love and hope with us today...i really needed to be touched by something beautiful today...God Bless both of you:)

KathyB. said...

It is so wonderful to have this very precious story told in such a blessed way...and I am blessed to have been able to read it ! Thank-you!

The Feathered Nest said...

Dear Sandy, what a beautiful post...thank you so much for sharing Mildred's story with us ~ what a wonderful relationship she had with her mother, she has blessed us all by her example of a daughter's love...

Your nest pin is amazing Sandy!! I just love it! I love that you added fibers to the nest ~ perfect! Thank you again for touching my heart today ~ xxoo, Dawn

Shopgirl said...

Gifts come in many packages, today mine came wrapped in your post, thank you for sharing this wonderful story of love, kindness, and joy.
Mary

Decor To Adore said...

It was such a blessing to learn that Mildred's mother had enjoyed that vintage handkerchief. When Mildred told me the rest of the story after her mother's passing, I was once again in awe of God's sweetness and mercy. At the time, I didn't know why I selected that particular hanky from the HUGE collection I have. I just remember looking through the pile several times and then just knowing that it was the one I needed to send.
Blessed assurance.

Decor To Adore said...

Oh, I forgot...the nest pin made my heart smile. :)

Cindy Is Crafty said...

Miss Sandy,
I love your little branch brooch. It is too sweet.

Susie said...

Okay I have to say, large dice and yellow chains?!?! I would love to see a picture of that outfit. Bless our Mothers' hearts. I'm sure your mom was just like mine. They just wanted us to look good. Mine did the best she could because we didn't have lots of money but we had lots of happiness!!

The tribute to Mildred's mom is so sweet! What a touching story Miss Sandy.

Fete et Fleur said...

Oh Sandy! What beautiful writing. I have been inhaling deeply of the beauty you have been writing about. Thank you dear friend.

Hugs!
Nancy

Kathy said...

Sandy, your story was beautiful and the pin you created is so unique and quite lovely.
Kathy

Unknown said...

Thank you for sharing such a beautiful story. I 'met' Mildred recently and the bond she shared with her mother was amazing.The "Circle of Love" is truly a circle of love.

Loved your creation too! Such a pretty bird's nest pin.

the voice of melody said...

This was such a beautiful story! Thank you for sharing it and for the lovely pictures.

Many sweet blessings!

Anonymous said...

Inspirational story and beautiful pin you created. Bless you! Vicki Page

Helen Read said...

Sandy - this is a lovely story ... so full of beauty and goodness! Thank you for sharing it.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful story. Thanks for sharing. I love the little nest!

Lynne said...

What a lovely post about Mildred and her mother. A truly lovely photo of her mother.
I remember shortly after dad died, mum and I were sitting in their garden and a butterfly came and rested on her. It was like it was a sign from dad to say not to be so sad. I know that's what she thought too, although we did not say anything.
Your pin is beautiful, how clever of you.
Lynne

Vee said...

Such a beautiful story...

I, too, love that song by David Phelps and am going directly to You Tube to listen again.

Your bird's nest pin is a charming piece...very darling.

Mari said...

Hi Sandy,
I'm a blogging friend of Mildred's. She sent me this link, and I had to let you know how this post touched me. It's especially fitting as Mothers Day approaches, to read of the love of Mother and daughter. Thank you for sharing their story.

Butterfly 8)(8 Bungalow said...

I enjoyed this beautiful story.

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