Although my little red dragonfly is not a butterfly, one of my favorite things to paint, he inspired me nevertheless and reminds me of one of my favorite quotes.
“They seemed to come suddenly upon happiness as if they had surprised a butterfly in the winter woods.”
― Edith Wharton
I typically visualize images and colors that correspond with circumstances and emotions. I feel color more than I see it. For nearly a year, I wasn’t seeing color, and I certainly couldn’t feel it. I frequently saw myself gasping for air, overcome by water all around. Trauma leading to a harsh winter of the soul can leave a heart feeling frozen, detached, and shattered like an icicle broken from the eve where it was once solidly attached. I thank God for His strength and ability to do all that is required to forge a healthy way forward day to day, even if it requires day after day after day . . . .
After nearly a year of pressing through the hard work of drastic change, one warm and balmy morning I walked my little Maltese, Sophia, beside the lake at our new apartment home. Doggie business requires a great deal of research, and as Sophia searched, I breathed. I was beginning to feel like I was breathing again. As the fountains played over the water’s surface, the sound soothed me, and I counted my blessings. Dragonflies hovered and darted over the grassy water’s edge. Gold dust seemed to decorate the air as sunlight reflected upon their gilded buzzing bodies. Then a streak of red swooshed before me. “It must’ve been a reflection,” I thought. The swoosh came to a pause and landed among others of its kind. It was like a treasure box had spilled out onto the lawn, and in the midst of many gold coins lie two rubies. Never before had I seen a bright red dragonfly! The experience seemed even more valuable when I learned that red dragonflies are often seen as a symbol of courage, strength, happiness, and even rejuvenation after a longstanding trial or hardship. In some cultures they are considered sacred. I thank God for messages that warm the heart and whisper to a hibernating soul, “Winter is over.”