I’ve always loved butterflies.  Ever since I was a little child, I have marveled at their beauty and how they wander from one flower to the next, making each flower more beautiful than the last.  As they made their journey to the tallest bushes in my mother’s gardens, I would chase after them with reckless abandon and often fall flat on my face trying to reach their sparkling wings, as if I could touch the face of God.  They were my winged-song when I could sing every children’s song from memory.

I am still reminded of my early years and wonder when I stopped chasing butterflies.  In elementary school, I learned how a butterfly’s metamorphosis from an egg into a caterpillar, into a chrysalis, and finally into a beautiful butterfly, allows it to beautify the world around it.  From a small, fragile birth, it grows into a determined and courageous thing of beauty, crossing miles of forests and bushes and completing its journey to another of God’s creations, the flower.

Just as God created the smallest of insects and the largest of creatures, I, too, was born in a small, 6-bed, coal-miner’s hospital and have grown into the unique person He wanted me to be.  My journey has been no less dramatic, fulfilling, and dangerous as that of the butterfly.  My colors have been soft pastels at times and as vibrant as a warm summer sun’s rays at other times.  I have been shy and reserved, as well as brilliant in God’s chorus and orchestra.

I haven’t really stopped chasing my dreams; they’ve just become more expressive and more fulfilling as I have aged.  As the golden hued- years have passed, I have prayed for the courage, resilience, and desire to continue my metamorphosis into the the most loving and caring person I can be, and hopefully, to leave this beautiful world a better place.  For those who come after me, I hope they see a  beautiful butterfly whose journey was important in God’s creation.

Anna Hartt