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