Welcome,
I'm Sabine Priestley,
And today I have a short story that shows just how similar we can be to things that are quite different from us.
Accompanying this story is the beautiful soundtrack entitled Grace of a Butterfly,
Created by the equally beautiful Blossom Violet.
One day,
A woman sat at the trunk of her favorite tree.
She liked talking to this tree,
Because it listened,
And it spoke back to her.
She could feel the wisdom in its trunk,
Branches,
And leaves.
It was always both comforting and uplifting.
Frequently it was enlightening as well.
But one day,
A butterfly came and landed on her knee.
She said hello to the butterfly,
And so did the tree.
To their surprise and delight,
The butterfly responded.
Well,
Hello!
This felt like a lovely spot to land for a moment.
The woman looked at the butterfly and said,
You're quite welcome.
We like to share our stories and our wisdom.
What would you like to share with us today?
The butterfly thought a long moment,
And then it began.
I have lived an interesting life.
In the beginning,
I had no wings.
I just ate,
Just ate.
That was my life.
And then one day it got dark,
Stiff,
Cold.
I don't remember anything after that,
Until one day I woke up.
I must say it wasn't easy.
It was dark,
And there was a lot of pain.
And also a great deal of struggle,
As I fought to release my wings from their encasement.
I'd never seen the encasement before.
After emerging,
I looked back at it and marveled that me and these beautiful wings ever fit in such a cramped,
Tight space.
But there it was.
It was another struggle as my wings expanded,
Filled.
And then finally,
After even more struggle,
I flew.
It was beautiful.
And here I am now,
With the two of you.
The woman in the tree both laughed,
Understanding.
She said to the butterfly,
It's funny,
Really.
I could explain my journey in precisely the same way.
I'll leave you now to enjoy the rest of this beautiful music,
And let you ponder the peril of the butterfly,
The woman,
And the tree.
