My son had a friend over last night to spend the night. Of course they spent most of the evening down in the basement, now that the dream of a place to hang out down there is becoming a reality!
Here's the thing- when they play the xbox they play online. If I get on my laptop to do anything, I hear "Mom, you are killing us!" Evidently there is not enough room on the internet for both of us at once. Well, I wanted him to have fun, and no way was I going to stay awake longer than them, so I just let it go.
But here I am now!
It has been hard for me to be encouraging lately. The winter has been long and slightly debilitating. Hormones are taking their toll on me too. It is times like this I hope that my smile and my presence and my determination to keep going will encourage somebody all on it's own. Or, maybe something I have done in the past is still encouraging someone today. My family and friends encourage me all the time even when they are not around, or I have not spoken to them. Something they have said or done will come to mind and I smile.
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| Gift from my friend, Wendybird |
The dragonfly has become an encouragement to me because of a story that was given to me at the funeral home. A perfect picture of the relationship between what we can and cannot see. The summer after Amanda died, God sent dragonflies to us. A big black dragonfly was in my backyard all summer. It was there ALL the time. Now, we lived in town at the time and I do not recall ever having seen a dragonfly in my yard before. When we were at my sisters, one landed on my mom and just sat there. It amazed me that God did that, but there was no doubt in my mind that He was letting me know He was there, and that she was okay. Right now I can't see them, but when my time comes, I will!
Here's the dragonfly story:
The Dragonfly Story
Down below the surface of a quiet pond lived a little colony of water bugs. They were a happy colony, living far away from the sun. For many months they were very busy, scurrying over the soft mud on the bottom of the pond. They did notice that every once in awhile one of their colony seemed to lose interest in going about. Clinging to the stem of a pond lily it gradually moved out of sight and was seen no more.
"Look!" said one of the water bugs to another. "one of our colony is climbing up the lily stalk. Where do you think she is going?" Up, up, up it slowly went....Even as they watched, the water bug disappeared from sight. Its friends waited and waited but it didn't return...
"That's funny!" said one water bug to another. "Wasn't she happy here?" asked a second... "Where do you suppose she went?" wondered a third.
No one had an answer. They were greatly puzzled. Finally one of the water bugs, a leader in the colony, gathered its friends together. "I have an idea". "The next one of us who climbs up the lily stalk must promise to come back and tell us where he or she went and why."
"We promise", they said solemnly.
One spring day, not long after, the very water bug who had suggested the plan found himself climbing up the lily stalk. Up, up, up, he went. Before he knew what was happening, he had broke through the surface of the water and fallen onto the broad, green lily pad above.
When he awoke, he looked about with surprise. He couldn't believe what he saw. A startling change had come to his old body. His movement revealed four silver wings and a long tail. Even as he struggled, he felt an impulse to move his wings...The warmth of the sun soon dried the moisture from the new body. He moved his wings again and suddenly found himself up above the water. He had become a dragonfly!!
Swooping and dipping in great curves, he flew through the air. He felt exhilarated in the new atmosphere. By and by the new dragonfly lighted happily on a lily pad to rest. Then it was that he chanced to look below to the bottom of the pond. Why, he was right above his old friends, the water bugs! There they were scurrying around, just as he had been doing some time before.
The dragonfly remembered the promise: "the next one of us who climbs up the lily stalk will come back and tell where he or she went and why." Without thinking, the dragonfly darted down. Suddenly he hit the surface of the water and bounced away. Now that he was a dragonfly, he could no longer go into the water...
"I can't return!" he said in dismay. "At least, I tried. But I can't keep my promise. Even if I could go back, not one of the water bugs would know me in my new body. I guess I'll just have to wait until they become dragonflies too. Then they'll understand what has happened to me, and where I went."
And the dragonfly winged off happily into its wonderful new world of sun and air.......
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