Long ago, in the land of Heart, lived a fair maiden who dared to dream dreams.
As a young child, she recalled how her father would set her on his strong knee
and tell her many wondrous stories about far away and exciting places; lands she
somehow knew she would one day come to also travel upon. Of the many tales her
father would tell, there was one particular story that always held special
meaning, even carrying her into adulthood. It was the presumed true tale of a
certain species of butterfly, one that was seen by very few. What made the
butterfly highly sought after was its emerald green wings which housed two small
heart shapes, one on each wing, thus its coined name, "the elusive butterfly of
love." It was said that the person who finds the elusive butterfly would live
happily ever after, thus, it is no wonder the maiden searched ardently for the
rare insect.
As a child, the fair maiden would prance about the woods with a butterfly net;
laughing, smiling, and dancing about in glee, certain she would soon catch the
elusive butterfly, but, to no avail. Weeks turned into months, and months into
years, and the fair maiden grew older and wiser, wondering if perhaps the
elusive butterfly of love was just a silly tale that old fishermen pass on as
they sip their bottles of whiskey at sea.
One day, tired of searching, the maiden set down her net, and placing her face
in her hands she began to cry. Upon the drying of her salty tears, the fair
maiden decided to go on with living, no longer would the search for the elusive
butterfly be part of her life.
Life, indeed, did go on, and one day, when the fair maiden was going about her
daily errands, an odd-looking shape fluttered about her head. The maiden waved
her arms to shoo the insect away, but no matter what she did, it would keep
flying about.
The next day, the maiden was surprised to see the odd-looking shape back again.
Closer inspection revealed it was some sort of moth or butterfly. In no way did
it look like the elusive butterfly of love, in fact, this butterfly's markings
and colors were quite different. And so, the fair maiden would go about her
errands, and the odd-looking butterfly would follow her, returning each day to
flutter about her head. It was not long before the fair maiden and the butterfly
formed a unique relationship. For some odd reason, the butterfly seemed to enjoy
the maiden's company, and the fair maiden felt a sense of peace and comfort,
knowing her winged companion would never leave her side.
Many years passed, and one day, for some strange reason, the fair maiden
recalled how she used to search for the elusive butterfly of love. In fact, the
more she looked at her faithful winged companion, the more she wondered about
the validity of the story of the elusive butterfly. Curiosity soon began to turn
into discontentment with the butterfly she had devoted so much of her life to.
"Look at you," she whispered to her faithful companion as he sat upon her
finger, "You are not beautiful emerald green. Now, especially after so many
years, your wings are dull and frayed. Do not worry though, my little friend,
you are not the elusive butterfly of love, but you have been faithful, good, and
true. I will keep you by my side always."
The maiden set down her winged companion and went outside to the rose garden to
get a breath of fresh air, and what did she see? Green as a sparkling cut
emerald fluttering about, a pink heart on each wing; the elusive butterfly of
love! Like a young school girl, the maiden pranced with glee, scarcely able to
believe her eyes! Suddenly, it dawned on the maiden that now she must decide
what to do; should she run for a net, or just watch the elusive butterfly as it
flutters about her garden, soon to fly away and most likely never be seen again.
Joy turned to sadness as the maiden knew what she must do. The maiden gave the
elusive butterfly one final look, acknowledging his existence, and turning away,
walked out of the garden to return to her faithful winged companion who had
befriended her so many years ago.
Inside the house, the maiden was shocked to see her dear friend looking
strangely ill. His wings beat weakly, and he could not even manage to fly. The
maiden gently picked up her companion and caressed him in the palm of her hand,
clearly evident he was at the end of his life. Upon the butterfly's final
breath, the maiden shed many tears, tears which flowed over her loving
companions frail body. Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, a glimmer of light came
from out of her hand. "What is this?" The maiden thought. The ragged wings of
her beloved companion seemed to reveal under them something more lovely.
Carefully, and tenderly, the maiden peeled away the tattered, old shell which
encased her winged friends body, to reveal beautiful wings of emerald green, a
small pink heart on each side. Both tears and joy filled the maiden's heart, and
her story was thus passed down by old fishermen who sipped whiskey at the sea.
Real life application:
Aren't we all guilty to some degree of searching for or desiring something that,
in most cases, is right under our very noses? Thankfully, unlike the above
fictional story, love is not elusive at all, and in fact, it is all around us,
if we would only fearlessly trust, not only God, but the power of love.
Contributed by Melanie Schurr Copyright © 1998 Melanie Schurr Visit my personal
page at
http://www.angelfire.com/mi/melschurr
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
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