My son, Gabe, has been doing a unit study on Lewis and Clark at his school. He is so into it... dressing up as Meriwether Lewis and going on expeditions of his own. We have had lots of conversations around our dinner table about how courageous and adventurous Lewis and Clark must have been to head out without a map or any kind of knowing of what they would encounter. They have become heroes for my boys, and rightfully so.
All this talk about journeys has got me thinking and wondering about my own expedition. I do not do well without a map. I want to know where I am heading. However, my children and my little visitors in nature are helping me to embrace the joy that can be discovered in not knowing where every step I take will lead. Just the other day I discovered a small Bordered Patch Butterfly in my driveway and when I offered my finger, to my surprise she did not flutter away but climbed upon my offering.
She fluttered her wings and rested on my finger for over 5 minutes, causing me to pause in my busy afternoon, ignore the distractions around me, and just breathe and be still. It seems these days the more I find time to be quiet and still the closer I get to my destination. The more I allow life to fold and unfold before me, much like the butterfly wings, the more I discover that my journey is easier when I let go of the map of control that I clench in my fist.
I am so blessed to have children and butterflies in my life to set the example of how beautiful life can be when we let go.