Dear Reader:

Wouldn’t life be extremely dull if we knew everything that was going to happen ahead of time? If we lived in a world with no surprises?

The best thing is… surprises don’t have to be big…in fact, in my personal observations, the smaller the surprise…the bigger the reaction. My story…

I went out in the garden yesterday slowly walking up the path towards the fountain…relishing in all the flowers and garden decor…especially the ones given to me by friends and family.

Honey gave me several dragonfly ornamental stakes for the garden…I put them all around the path perimeter and love them so. Well…yesterday as I walked out to water a few plants that looked somewhat wilted…something caught my eye.

It was a real dragonfly perched perfectly on top of Honey’s ornamental dragonfly stake…on the right wing. (If only I had my iPhone to take a picture I thought sadly…but surely, by the time I go get it and return… the dragonfly will be gone.)

I finished my stroll and went back in the house. I had been charging my iPhone and thought I would look for some pretty photos for today’s post.

When I got back to the ornamental stake…I “gasped.” The dragonfly was still there. This could not be…I thought to myself…but I quickly turned on the photo imagery to prepare to take the picture. In my excitement I must have hit something else…because when I excitedly clicked the photo…it started with the 10, 9, 8 , 7 , 6 , 5 , 4, 3, 2, 1.

“No! I thought to myself…what did I do?” No way that dragonfly is going to stay put for 10 seconds more. But it did! It was so delicate and so beautiful…it had a green head with blue side and gorgeous” translucent” wings that caught the sun’s rays.

I quickly ran in the house…to try to enlarge it as much as possible without losing the proper dimensions…and here is our amazing, surprising  dragonfly perched on another dragonfly decor stake! (extreme right)

I mean…what are the odds that a dragonfly would perch on an ornamental stake dragonfly and just stay there? It completely made my day…immediately I texted Honey and sent the picture because dragonflies have always been an important symbol in her life.

She replied:

Oh Becky! The dragonfly has always been a positive for me!  I can remember being  in our pool on Ayers Circle and they would light on my arms and legs as I floated in my chair.It was always a positive! Good things always seemed to follow. Somewhere along the way I read that they are angels-that’s why they have extra wings.
Just today when I got your email I was emptying the kiln with 4 dragonfly plates. They are ready to go to shop in Brevard. Six more dragonfly plates are being bisque. Many people seem to like the dragonfly. She brings hope and positiveness!

The dragonfly symbolizes wisdom, change, transformation, light and adaptability in life. Each attribute and/or characteristic is something we all seek in our lives….being open to change, following the light, transforming and adapting to whatever obstacles come our way…and having the wisdom to know we will be stronger people for going through the transformation.

Dragonflies have a fascinating history in how they have evolved over millions of years….yes…millions!

The dragonfly is born as a nymph who lives in water for the first three to five years of its life. During this time, it can molt between 9 – 17 times. Then, it transforms and evolves into the flying wonder we see around us, but very little of a dragonfly’s life is actually spent flying through the open air. When you have a dragonfly sighting, you are seeing a symbol from our Creator to live in the moment and make the most of the time you have…they don’t live long in their flying stage.

Dragonflies can see in 360-degree angles—another clue from our Creator to open our eyes and to see beyond limitations. Each of their four wings works independently. They go up, down, backward, and forward at any axis, which makes for some unique maneuvers. This allows the dragonfly to fly in any direction and at a speed of up to 30 miles per hour.

Even at top speed, dragonflies can make hairpin turns or suddenly stop and hover. From the time they’re born, dragonflies are constant vehicles of change and transformation, demonstrating why this insect has survived since before the time of the dinosaurs.

If I really want to boggle what’s left of my mind…I try to wrap my brain around how many millions of different species of living organism call our blue planet home…and each tiny creature up to the largest mammals on earth… the blue whales to elephants….everyone has their own unique blueprint…and each original set of instincts are designed to keep all organisms alive for as long as their blueprint designates…to carry out their specific task on earth.

How can anybody not believe in a Supreme Being upon witnessing the marvels and mysteries of life itself?

So until tomorrow…each day we have the opportunity to witness another surprise from all God’s creatures living within their universal habitats. Amazing beyond comprehension.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

A big shout-out to my cutest little nephew, Rhodes, who is not so little any more…he is turning four…a “big” little boy now! And don’t forget it! 🙂

Happy Birthday sweet Rhodes….your Aunt Becky Boo loves you through and through!

Gin-g brought a birthday pizza last night and we had so much fun catching up, eating cake on the deck, and being so chilly we needed a sweater…hard to believe. Thanks Gin-g for the meal, and most especially for the memories…what fun we had reminiscing over old teaching days!