A BOY, A BUTTERFLY, AND GOD...

A true story, as best I remember it�

 

When I was a boy of about ten, I made a promise to God.

 Now at the time, I was living in a California house, a rather odd turquoise color, but quite fitting with the grape vines and palm tree out front. In the back was a magnificent lavender bush that often attracted bees and butterflies. This innocent bush leads to the dark nature of my little promise.

There, you see it? There on the bush? A majestic butterfly… a monarch… golden and rich with black trim… fluttering so softly.  Oh, I wanted it, but knew I could never catch such a thing on my own. So I did what I knew to do… I prayed.  I prayed to God that I could catch it… that it would sit for me until it was in my grasp. I swore that after I had held it I would release it again, and that would be that. My promise was made.

I moved closer, fingers outstretched… reaching slowly… and there it sat… motionless, as if God swallowed time and I alone could move… my fingertips touched its silken wings, and I pressed them together. It was mine. The wind whispered again, and the creature came alive in my fingers; stunned at being caught by so large and clumsy a beast as me.

Now, as you may know, most promises of young boys are easily forgotten or pushed aside for more expedient things. As I looked upon the beautiful coloring and felt the life moving in my fingers, I did what many boys would be tempted to do. I took it and plunged it into a jar of water and sealed the lid, sealing its fate. And oh I shook it, and rolled it around, until its body was doused in water.

As I watched it floating in the jar, I grabbed a piece of wood and some pins. This would be my prize. I reached in and placed it soft on the wood, pinning wing and body one by one…

Nearly an hour passed and I came to see the monarch. Looking down, I noticed subtle movement in its body… pressing against the pins… wings shaking… in this moment, my promise washed over me like cold rain. I was ashamed. Slowly, I pulled out the pins from the wings… from the body… Somehow, I would keep my promise to God.

Outside, I set its body on the bush, watching to see if there might be one more miracle. And then, it happened. The butterfly fluttered and rose into the sky, as if I had never touched it; as if time had been halted for its sake.

Here I reflect on that moment, knowing that even a small boy, when given the power of life or death can so easily be led astray. And in our world we often yield ourselves to power hungry people, willing to sacrifice anything or anyone for their purposes. In it all, we long for life and peace.

Yet, I remember the butterfly that God saved that day, and I realize that peace is not only in my poor hands. Tyrants will come and go, but let us, the childlike, the poor, the weak, let us strive for life and peace with every breath. Let us promise it to our children. Perhaps, they too may see a miracle.

I wonder sometimes if that butterfly might still be alive somewhere, not too far away, and God smiling…

 

Reviews

[Arthur Henn]

Craig, this was an amazing piece. It always seem that the reality of our being become the better of our writings as we listen to what has been stamped and etched upon our heart. A tool of a message in these words you have written for us all here at the cafe..

Thank you for sharing such a wonderful piece.

Art

[Tate Morgan]

Ah a great piece of writing I felt that story as If it were mine own Thank you
tate

[Vesa Lee]

The images this story conjures are phenomenal.
Like a silent short film...
I simple cannot find the words to express how it touched me.
Very, -very- good.
I'm glad you kept your promise to God, for now you have this story to share.

[Emily B]

powerful words! wow!!!!

[[untitled]]

Craig, you sent me a read request a while back and I apologize for the delay. I have to reserve time to read stories in order to focus without distraction (ADD). However, I was not disappointed. The other reviewers said some wonderful things so I doubt if I can add anything that hasn't already been said. This story shows that as humans we often make promises to God in order to receive something we desire. He upholds his end of the deal and many times we fail Him. However, the spirit of conscience was laid upon your heart; in this He gave you an opportunity for redemption. Humans are more powerful than we give ourselves credit for. We have the ability to achieve peace, end hunger, and poverty. We yearn for these things but fail to pursue them because of our own self-interest. I'm speaking in a general sense. When we are granted power of any kind it is up to us to do the right thing. A very uplifting story.

[.::Cup^E^Cake*RaWr!*::.]

Nice!!

[Sean Allen]

This is a beautiful story with a good message something that we all, especially younger people, need to hear as often as possible. Thank you for writing it.

The butterfly is a very special creature to God as it is the one that shows us hope for a new life as we watch its metamorphosis� living as a worm, being wrapped in a shroud and then being reborn as the beautiful exalted creature that it becomes.

Another special creature to God is the mouse and you might enjoy my story of the "First Christmas Mouse" about a time when I was a ten year old boy.

[JohnL]

What a play upon proportion, perspectives, values, conscience, the keeping of promises, kindness and even God. I have driven through the migration of the Monarchs, seen great truck fronts covered with their dead, picked them off the car I was driving. I felt sadness at their demise but no consciencs. Millions of Monarchs meeting an untimely end, killed by the split second vagaries of time - impersonal, un mourned, just so much more road-kill.
Now, here, we have just one benighted Monarch, abused yet used to teach one naughty boy about 'proportions, perspectives, values, conscience, the keeping of promises, kindness and even God.'
It differed only in time and place but what it achieved is enormous. What a thoughtful and unusual poem.
John

[LoLo]

I love this story, it almost made me cry actually. This was a story that needed to be told and it shows a lesson and the boy overcomming it with love and morality. I am in awe...

[Jessica M.]

It's a beautiful story.
Miracles truly aren't an everyday occurrence.
To often we fall into a trend of forgetting our promises and especially their consequences.
Hopefully this story will inspire those who read it to take a second look at their lives and their promises that they forgot to fulfill.

[emmajoy]

This is a beautiful story - a moral with a tale, rather than a tale with a moral. Whilst I hate what the boy did coz I love butterflies, it's what boys do and, ended as it should , plus your words are gently and as always, finely put.

You're so right about what we do to each other: the hurt, the pain. But, God is there and here, now. He somehow turns earthly actions into miracles through promises remembered. And, that's what matters.

Thank you for sharing such an incredible memory and, the ensuing thoughts.