Grandpa's Butterfly |
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I remember my Grandpa as a kind and gentle man. Oh there were stories of his stubborn moods and harshness , but when Grandpa spoke to me, he always had a smile in his voice. My fondest memory, is the day we saw the beautiful butterfly. It was yellow and dark indigo blue. It was flitting about, in the air above my head.Grandpa saw it first. "Look Bobby" he exclaimed, "High above your head,see it? " I followed his finger to the most beautiful butterfly I had ever seen. "Oh Grandpa, can you catch it?" I begged. Grandpa lifted me up in his big arms, to give me a better view. "Bobby," he said slowly,"Some things of beauty, should not be captured. God made them delicate and free, like the wind. We can watch them, and enjoy them just as they are...free." So that's exactly what we did. We watched as the butterfly flew in wild circles, in search of the perfect flower. We would creep closer to it, as it landed on first one flower, and then another. And then, with one great long swoop...it was gone. "Oh no Grandpa, he flew away!!" I cried. "I know Bobby, but wasn't it a beauty." he cooed. And then seeing the distressed look on my face, "Say!!! Was that the first butterfly you've seen this Spring?" his eyes were full of sunshine as he spoke. "Yes," I answered, still staring in the direction of the butterflies trail. "Oh well, you know what that means don't you?"he smiled. I shook my head no, as he scooped me up once again. "Why that means that you will get a new dress, the very color of that butterfly!" He had my attention now. "Really,Grandpa?" I looked long into his kind blue eyes, and tried to recall exactly what the colors were on that butterfly. "Yes indeed. You will get a beautiful new dress, and it will always remind you of the beauty that we shared today." he patted my back and said "Now I need to get back home to feed." Grandpa was a farmer.He lived just a quarter of a mile from us.That day he had rode his big white horse, over to our place. I watched him as he mounted Jake, and headed down the country lane. Sadness filled my heart, as I watched him go. I knew there was no money for a new dress. But still for the next two days, I'd find myself dreaming, about the beautiful colors in that butterfly. Mama always made my dresses, from remnant bundles which she ordered from the catalog. And I'd never seen any of those wonderful colors, in those bundles. Two days latter, I heard Grandpa's white horse coming up the road. I ran to the road to greet him. He had a bundle wrapped in white tissue paper, tucked under his arm, and a smile as wide as the road. He handed me the bundle and said "Open it." Mom had came out of the kitchen, and was looking at Grandpa with disapproving eyes. "I hope you haven't done something foolish" she wiped her hair from her face, as she watched me carefully open the tissue bundle. There inside was, a soft yellow and indigo dress. It had pleats in the skirt,and a wide indigo band around the collar. It was the first store bought dress I'd ever owned. "I could have made her three dresses, with the money you spent on that," mother said disapproving. "Now Cleone, let the girl enjoy her dress." he growled . And he turned his horse around, and headed back home. That day,I learned all about dreams coming true, and hearts breaking in two. As mother tried the dress on me, she became more upset, at the money spent on one dress. A dress that she said was too old for me. And so, my beautiful butterfly dress, went back to the store,and was replaced with fabric, enough to make three dresses. My heart was broken. But the love that Grandpa gave me that day, couldn't be taken away. And the lesson in life, has always remained close to my heart. As an adult, I now know that he made a long trip into town, to buy that dress; taking time away from his farm to bring joy to me. He spent money that was hard earned. Mother was probably right.The dress may have been too old for me. But to this day, when I see my first butterfly of the season, I look to the heavens and say, "Just look at that beauty Grandpa..." and I can almost feel his smile. -Bobby Smith copyright :2000 (4th collection |
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