Heading into Six Months…

As many of you know, my husband, William,  passed away 12/14/2017 suddenly in our home. As the six-month mark is approaching, I am reminded of his life, his humor, and his struggles.

When his ashes were placed at his family cemetery, I read a version of this story for him. The remainder of his ashes were spread into a local lake where his family often camped when he was a child. He said that was a place he loved and had good memories. He is a peaceful part of that place now and always.

For all of us who have lost someone we love, please take a moment to read this story of comfort and a reminder each time we see a dragonfly that our loved ones are soaring the heavens now and always.

The Message of the Water Beetle

Cecil B. DeMille, the famous motion picture producer, was a man of great talents and keen insights.

He liked to go off by himself at times to think out a problem. One such time he went out in a canoe to quietly drift along while he thought about the problem.

The canoe drifted inshore to a place where the water was only a few inches deep. Looking down he saw that the bottom was crowded with water beetles. As he watched, one of the beetles came to the surface and slowly crawled up the side of the canoe. Finally reaching the top, it grasped fast to the wood and appeared to have died.

DeMille’s thoughts returned to his problem. About three hours later, he happened to notice the beetle again. He noticed that in the hot sun, its shell had become dry and brittle. But as he continued to watch, the shell slowly split open and a new form emerged. A dragonfly took to the air out of the old husk, with its brilliant colors flashing in the sunlight.

The winged form of the insect flew further in an instant than the water beetle could have traveled in many days. The dragonfly circled back and swooped down to the surface of the water.

DeMille noticed its shadow on the water. The water beetles below might have seen it too, but would not have recognized their companion in its new form which was beyond their comprehension. They were still living in their limited beetle world while their winged companion had gained for himself all the freedom between the Earth and the sky.

Later when DeMille told others of his experience, he concluded with a very penetrating question:

Since the Great Creator of the Universe would do that for a water beetle, doesn’t that mean he also does the same for human beings?

When we see a dragonfly we should remember that even though in our limited human form, we cannot see our loved ones, they are still and will always be soaring above us watching over us from the heavens above.

 

12 Jun This entry was published on June 12, 2018 at 7:02 pm and is filed under American, Animals, At home, Family, Green Living, Lessons from the past., Living/Style, Music, musings, Nature, Nostalgia, Parents & Kids Reading, Parks and Natural Areas, Personal, Pets, Simple living, travel, Uncategorized, Winning, Writing. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.