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Butterflies

A poem about new beginnings.

"Al Muhibba (Beloved)" acrylic, coloured pencil and walnut ink on birch panel by Karen Tamminga-Paton. Used with permission. www.tammingapaton.com

Butterflies

So quiet, so subtle

…..Fluttering nearby

Sometimes I miss their colours

…..Bright patterns in the wind

Sometimes I miss people too

…..Bright, unique, beautiful

What do they carry

…..As they flutter nearby?

……….Precious stories, sacred lives

……………Love, joy, wisdom, hope

When will they stop me, catch my eye?

…..As does the beckoning butterfly–

……….Surprising, beloved

……………Yet once a crawling thing

………………..Are we all on the way to becoming?

Inherently made with possibility

…..Astonishing

……….Sobering

Our universal inheritance

…..An invitation to resonance

……….And repentance?

We too can start over

…..And help one another turnover

……….To grace, to fluttering

……………Like the butterfly uncovering

Beloved.

artist statement

Here, women enjoy the surprising presence of butterflies.  They are all Canadian species suggesting the possibility of new beginnings in this land.  Canada is founded on the principle that every human being has inherent value – a sobering challenge and our astounding inheritance.  

Author

  • Karen Wilk works with Resonate Global Mission and Forge Canada coaching and training leaders and faith communities to discover and join God at work in their neighbourhoods. She has been a vocational pastor for over 35 years in Edmonton, Alberta and is currently leading a movement of Christ-followers seeking to ‘live among and love their neighbours.’ Karen has a Doctorate in Missional Leadership from Northern Seminary (Chicago) and has written numerous curricula, articles, devotionals, poetic prayers and ponderings and books including Don’t Invite Them to Church: Moving from a Come and See to a Go and Be Church. She and her husband have three adult daughters and one son-in-law, and enjoy being neighbours, playing pickleball, riding their e-bikes and Alberta’s great outdoors!

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