Colorful Dragonfly

It'll be a few months before we see dragonflies once again at Devil's Lake, but last Sunday, a good friend surprised me with the gift of a whimsical, colorful dragonfly to hang on the wall.  Just looking at its brightly colored wings and body makes me smile.  This particular generous friend periodically surprises me with a card or gift depicting dragonflies, and I so appreciate her kindness. The dragonfly is supposedly symbolic of many things, including maturity, poise, adaptability and depth of character, even the ability to see things clearly. My favorite meaning of the dragonfly, however, is the focus on living in the moment and to the fullest. As I look at my new colorful dragonfly hanging on the wall of my home office, I reflect on the blessings of living in the moment, even when the moment is difficult. It is only when I give full attention to the now that I recognize all of the good that is in it.  

Darting Along the Water's Edge

I have a thing for dragonflies.  I love their translucent beauty, their elegance and their lightness.  My friend Mary gave me a dragonfly pin last year that I frequently wear.  The pin's colors seem to go with just about everything in my closet.  A few days ago, I showed the pin to my friend M.J. as she showed me her new, delicate dragonfly tattoo.  I guess you could say that M.J. and I are dragonfly kindred spirits.  So, I thought of her one recent evening when my husband Larry and I were walking at Devil's Lake State Park.  The sun was starting to go down as we reached the south shore.  It was there that I discovered magic and enchantment.  There were dragonflies everywhere we looked, darting back and forth along the water's edge, skimming just above the surface, undoubtedly catching some evening insect snacks.  I nearly tripped a couple of times because I wasn't watching where I was going. Instead, my eyes were fixed on the beautiful, darting, skimming, hovering dragonflies.  Magnificent!

Flight of Fancy

Faith Baldwin wrote in Face Toward the Spring that "Nothing is lost to us:...not the parents we knew but now know only in our hearts and spirits...."  I find her words comforting as I continue to grieve the loss of my mom in this first year since her death.  Sometimes, however, it's hard to accept the fact that Mom now resides only in my heart and spirit. Recently, I was focusing on my yesterdays with her, flooded with a downpour of grief, when my friend Mary surprised me with a lovely pin of a dragonfly with silver body and iridescent wings.  Mary and I have often talked in recent years about the symbolism of dragonflies, so it was particularly appreciated to receive such a beautiful dragonfly pin from her.  According to the Internet, dragonflies symbolize the poise and wisdom that come with age, the understanding and acceptance of change, the maturity that embraces a deeper understanding of the meaning of life, and the ability to live in the moment, aware of who you are (and who you aren't) and what you want (and what you don't want).  Mary's generous gesture brought me out of my sadness for my yesterdays to all that is beautiful about today, once again allowing me to live in this moment.