Broken butterfly

On a hike this evening, I came across a broken butterfly. It had beautiful black wings with blue hues and tipped whites. A piece of its wing was missing, so it was only able to fly in circles.

I happened to look down at the right moment before I was about to cut off trail to go my own way and there it was on the ground, struggling.

I gently picked it up and cupped my palms around it to try and calm it down as it started to flutter madly. I held it with me as I walked some more while surrounding it with peaceful healing energy from my hands.

It had calmed down after awhile and I found a good, safe spot with large leaves to set it down upon. I unfolded my hand and it rested, slowly flexing its wings. We both just stood there for awhile, watching one another. I lowered it onto a leaf and it hopped off and fluttered onto my shirt. I smiled and let it sit there for another minute and then lowered her back to the leaf because I knew she might fall off me while I was walking the trails and get stepped upon. This time she crawled onto the leaf and stayed. I bade it farewell.

Walking away, I turned to look at her and she was still there, still slowly flexing her wings open and shut. As I turned back to the trail and moved on, I knew she wasn’t going to make it. This sadness flooded into me and my eyes welled up. I was surprised to feel this way, so suddenly and so deeply. But it also felt like I had briefly tapped into a universal sadness because it felt everywhere.

I looked up high up into the trees and called out to nature to protect and guide my little friend and gave my thanks.

Later I realized I was saying a prayer for all the broken butterflies and broken souls in our world because we are all inexorably connected in a common bond of love. We are never separate, even when we feel that way.

[]A butterfly at the Tuscawilla preserve near Micanopy, Florida_