Here is part of what she wrote:
"The calligraphy you made for us so many years ago has always hung in a prominent place in our home. Now it's in our 'butterfly room' where we go more often than the front door....our little bathroom theme is butterflies, a very pleasant environment for taking care of necessities. And ' Time out; I need to go to see the butterflies' brings more smiles than 'Do you need to pee?'"
At first I couldn't figure out what she was talking about. Butterflies? But I finally recollected that as a 22 year old just out of college, I had come to Japan with my calligraphy pens and had written out a poem I had copied during my dormitory years. It was called God Whispers and I think I attached a cloth butterfly to the corner of the poster board and gave it to my missionary mentors...my "old" friend.
Here is God Whispers with a bit of an added ending.
God Whispers
The man whispered,
“God speak to me”
And a Meadowlark sang.
But, the man did not hear.
So the man yelled,
“God, speak to me”
And the thunder rolled across the
sky.
But, the man did not listen.
The man looked around and said,
“God let me see you.”
And the sun shined brightly.
But, the man did not see.
And the man shouted,
“God show me a miracle.”
And, a life was born.
But, the man did not notice.
So, the man cried out in despair,
“Touch me God, and let me know you
are here.”
Whereupon, God reached down and
touched the man.
But, the man brushed the butterfly
away and walked on.
I found this to be a
great reminder that God is always around us in the little and simple things
that we take for granted. So I would like to
add one more:
The man cried, “God I need your help!”
And an email arrived reaching out
with good news and encouragement.
But, the man deleted it and continued
crying.
Don’t miss out on a blessing because it isn’t
packaged the way that you expect.
The poem can be also be seen with some beautiful photography and music on this YouTube video . I have typed the old poem out again (no calligraphy pens anymore) and put it up in my "butterfly room".
Beautiful reminder of God's presence in my life.
ReplyDeleteLovely and an excellent reminder to pause and see God around us.
ReplyDeleteI do like the "go see the butterflies" concept of a potty trip. In our home it would be "go see Villefranche." We have a series of pictures we took in Villefranche Sur Mer when cruising there every week now hanging in our bathroom. Perhaps we should just shorten it to "I'm going to France...." These possibilities are endless! ;)
Beautiful, Tanya, true, touching, and we all need reminding every so often. Greetings to you and Tetsu, Jean.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! And so true! People don't look around and see all of God's beauty and how he is reaching out to us with and through it! I'll think of this poem every time I see butterflies from now on I'm sure!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful!!! And what a blessing, if we but read and absorb......thanks, hugs, Pat in IN
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely poem!!! I'll have to look it up on YouTube...thanks for sharing your friends note and poem!
ReplyDelete"Don’t miss out on a blessing because it isn’t packaged the way that you expect."
ReplyDeleteThis is so good. I have to ask myself, do I have to have life packaged with a bow? Lots to think about here. Thanks Tanya.
Although I'm not a Christian in the strict sense (don't go to church/masses etc.) I believe that there's more between heaven and earth that we can't see but that's "there".
ReplyDeleteThis one is a really nice poem. Thanks for sharing!
I love this so Tanya, thank you for sharing. Isn't it interesting someone from long ago would bring about this memory, perhaps God whispering?! Ani in NC >^..^<
ReplyDeleteI like that, and the part about going to the butterfly room. So true!
ReplyDelete