A New Life...

Have you ever noticed how God seems to send signs to show you the way that your life is turning?
I have blogged about this before, more than once, and it seems to keep coming up in my head...the changes in my own life in the past two years reflect to me, more than anything else, that I have had opportunity in different forms to change, to grow and to improve ~ finding and joining a wonderful traditional parish where I have felt so at home, going to Confession more than I ever have before and finally being able to join the Opus Angelorum...among other opportunities that are too amazing to ever discount or forget for one moment...
I have been married for 31+ years. I have eight children, two more in Heaven. I have been a Roman Catholic all my life; I have also been an Artist all my life. There, at least, my life is the same. There are constants that will not go away until the day I die.
But there are other, more subtle changes that I cannot help but see ~ both in myself and in my surroundings.
I have been, for a time at least, away from "home" ~ and it was not until I had been married for over a year that I came back to the Faith; five (or so) years away had taken their toll on my heart and it was time for me to reclaim my heritage as a daughter of Holy Mother Church, not to mention the fact that I was soon to be a mother and felt very strongly the obligation to raise my sons and daughters in the True Faith. So I can fully identify with others who leave for whatever reason, and decide to return ~ for whatever reason. We all have our reasons, don't we? But in the end, it is God Who is the real Reason for our very being.
As He did when He created the butterflies, He gives us another chance at life, this time a more beautiful, fulfilling and purposeful life. He bestows upon our souls the uplifting graces that He has been saving for each of us especially...and if we are willing to take advantage of those graces, we stand to gain even more.
If we don't take advantage of them, He will give them to someone else...so we must "take our flight" to His Presence as often as possible!
Lately I have been noticing more and more butterflies crossing my own path ~ mostly on the road to here and there, and it brings to my mind all the times God has forgiven me, granted me a new life in Him, and graciously bestowed His finest favors upon a daughter who is so unworthy and yet so very grateful!
I have always felt an affinity to these lovely and graceful creatures ~ no matter the variety, they are all wonderful ~ and it seems that to show a butterfly as an illustration of new life is quite fitting.
I have three Blogs and I used this same picture and this same theme in all of them today. In my Artist Blog I have come to the conclusion that the butterflies will be my own signature. In my General Blog, I have noted that they seem to be crossing my path everywhere I go.
And now, here in my Catholic Blog, I am using them as a metaphor for my spiritual life.
May Almighty God, in His infinite Wisdom, grant us all the grace to "see" the butterflies as a sign of His favor and goodness, and the grace to rise to a new life in Him.