Strength Supersedes Struggle

"We grow because we struggle,

we learn and overcome."

~ Robert G. Allen

I am an avid collector of inspirational stories and quotes. Some of these treasures date back as far as high school. The really special ones have been read many times and I think of them often. A few of these pieces have even inspired my art and writing. It has been a while since I reread and posted this one, so I thought it might be a good story to go along with this piece. Many of these scenarios, like the one posted below, are "Author Unknown".

BUTTERFLIES ALWAYS REMIND ME 

OF THIS BEAUTIFUL STORY:

STRUGGLES

An Inspiring Story About How Struggles Strengthen Us

When he was a small boy, he had loved butterflies. Oh, not to net and mount them, but to wonder at them and their habits.

Now a grown man with his first son to be born in a few weeks, he found himself once again fascinated with a cocoon. He had found it at the side of the park path. Somehow the twig had been knocked from the tree and the cocoon had survived undamaged and still woven to the branch.

As he had seen his mother do, he gently protected it by wrapping it in his handkerchief and carried it home. The cocoon found a temporary home in a wide-top mason jar with holes in the lid. The jar was placed on the mantle for easy viewing and protection from their curious cat who would delight in volleying the sticky silk between her paws.

The man watched. His wife's interest lasted only a moment, but he studied the silky envelope. Almost imperceptibly at first, the cocoon moved. He watched more closely and soon the cocoon was trembling with activity. Nothing else happened. The cocoon remained tightly glued to the twig and there was no sign of wings.

Finally the shaking became so intense that the man thought the butterfly would die from the struggle. He removed the lid on the jar, took a sharp pen knife from his desk drawer, and carefully made a tiny slit in the side of the cocoon. Almost immediately, one wing appeared and then outstretched the other. The butterfly was free!

It seemed to enjoy its freedom and walked along the edge of the mason jar and along the edge of the mantle. But it didn't fly. At first the man thought the wings needed time to dry, but time passed and still the butterfly did not take off.

The man was worried and called up his neighbor who taught science. He told the neighbor how he had found the cocoon, placed it in the mason jar, and the terrible trembling as the butterfly struggled to get out. When he described how he had carefully made a small slit in the cocoon, the teacher stopped him. "Oh, that is the reason. You see, the struggle is what gives the butterfly the strength to fly."
 
And so it is with us. Sometimes it's the struggles in life that strengthen us the most. ~ Author Unknown

Did you enjoy this story? Have you read it before?

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Have a really great day!

X ♥  O

STRUGGLES OF A BUTTERFLY

"When he was a small boy, he had loved butterflies. 

Oh, not to net and mount them, 

but to wonder at them and their habits."

THE AWAKENING

See Painting Specifications and Price Here

I am an avid collector of inspirational stories and quotes. Some of these treasures date back as far as high school. The really special ones have been read many times and I think of them often. A few of these pieces have even inspired my art and writing. Many of these scenarios, like the one posted below, are "Author Unknown".

BUTTERFLIES ALWAYS REMIND ME 

OF THIS BEAUTIFUL STORY:

STRUGGLES

An Inspiring Story About How Struggle Strengthen Us

When he was a small boy, he had loved butterflies. Oh, not to net and mount them, but to wonder at them and their habits.

Now a grown man with his first son to be born in a few weeks, he found himself once again fascinated with a cocoon. He had found it at the side of the park path. Somehow the twig had been knocked from the tree and the cocoon had survived undamaged and still woven to the branch.

As he had seen his mother do, he gently protected it by wrapping it in his handkerchief and carried it home. The cocoon found a temporary home in a wide-top mason jar with holes in the lid. The jar was placed on the mantle for easy viewing and protection from their curious cat who would delight in volleying the sticky silk between her paws.

The man watched. His wife's interest lasted only a moment, but he studied the silky envelope. Almost imperceptibly at first, the cocoon moved. He watched more closely and soon the cocoon was trembling with activity. Nothing else happened. The cocoon remained tightly glued to the twig and there was no sign of wings.

Finally the shaking became so intense that the man thought the butterfly would die from the struggle. He removed the lid on the jar, took a sharp pen knife from his desk drawer, and carefully made a tiny slit in the side of the cocoon. Almost immediately, one wing appeared and then outstretched the other. The butterfly was free!

It seemed to enjoy its freedom and walked along the edge of the mason jar and along the edge of the mantle. But it didn't fly. At first the man thought the wings needed time to dry, but time passed and still the butterfly did not take off.

The man was worried and called up his neighbor who taught science. He told the neighbor how he had found the cocoon, placed it in the mason jar, and the terrible trembling as the butterfly struggled to get out. When he described how he had carefully made a small slit in the cocoon, the teacher stopped him. "Oh, that is the reason. You see, the struggle is what gives the butterfly the strength to fly."
And so it is with us. Sometimes it's the struggles in life that strengthen us the most. ~ Author Unknown

Did you enjoy this story? Have you read it before?

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Have a really great day!

X ♥  O

Butterfly ~ Symbol of Transformation and Self-Fulfillment

"The four steps of transformation;

symbolized by the egg (idea),

larvae (research),

cocoon (development) and

adult butterfly (new reality)

are constantly taking

place in our lives."

Butterfly Spirit ~ Joyful Evolution Day 20 Joy ~ Involvement ~ Change ~ Growth 8.5 x 6.5" Hand Painted Watercolor on Yupo Paper Matted and Framed to 10" x 8"

Butterfly Spirit ~ Joyful Evolution Day 20 Joy ~ Involvement ~ Change ~ Growth 8.5 x 6.5" Hand Painted Watercolor on Yupo Paper Matted and Framed to 10" x 8"

Butterfly Spirit ~ Joyful Evolution

Day 20

Joy ~ Involvement ~ Change ~ Growth

8.5 x 6.5" Hand Painted Watercolor on Yupo Paper

Matted and Framed to 10" x 8"

Painting Options

painting only $99.00 USD art matted w/ backing $105.00 USD art matted + Framed - Med. Wood $135.00 USD

First Step - Paint the eyes (and wings).

Because I wanted the butterfly darker than the

background, I started with medium to dark mid-tones.

Second Step  - More dark mid-tone areas added.

Third Step - The background wash was added.

Fourth Step -

The painting was finished by

adding the calligraphy, lifting a little pigment

here and there and adding a few darks and darker mid-tones.

Butterfly Spirit -  Full frame/ Uncropped

Tip of the day:

Here's my set-up for today. You can see I have everything at my finger tips. I've found that when working on Yupo paper, it's good to work on top of a paper towel so the pigment doesn't pool up at the edges. I'm also using several small (plastic take-out) water dishes. The shallow dishes are good for keeping the water below the top of the ferrel. By keeping the water separate for color families, it looks prettier and I can keep going longer without changing the water. It's also important to have one or two different kinds of candy handy. (Note the big bag of red hots.)

Painting set-up for watercolor on Yupo paper.

Thanks again for all the comments from old friends and new!

I hope you are having a joyful day.

Thanks for stopping by!

X ♥  O

Struggles Of A Butterfly

From my Spirit Art Blog post today, August 31st ~
Whenever I see a butterfly these days, I think of this story. There are many versions on line but I like this one the best. I hope you like it as much as I do.

Struggles of a Butterfly

When he was a small boy, he had loved butterflies. Oh, not to net and
mount them, but to wonder at their designs and habits.

Now a grown man with his first son to be born in a few weeks, he found
himself once again fascinated with a cocoon. He had found it at the side
of the park path. Somehow the twig had been knocked from the tree and
the cocoon had survived undamaged and still woven to the branch.

As he had seen his mother do, he gently protected it by wrapping it in
his handkerchief and carried it home. The cocoon found a temporary home
in a wide-top mason jar with holes in the lid. The jar was placed on the
mantle for easy viewing and protection from their curious cat who would
delight in volleying the sticky silk between her paws.

The man watched. His wife's interest lasted only a moment, but he studied
the silky envelope. Almost imperceptibly at first, the cocoon moved. He
watched more closely and soon the cocoon was trembling with activity.
Nothing else happened. The cocoon remained tightly glued to the twig and
there was no sign of wings.

Finally the shaking became so intense, the man thought the butterfly would
die from the struggle. He removed the lid on the jar, took a sharp pen
knife from his desk drawer, and carefully made a tiny slit in the side
of the cocoon. Almost immediately, one wing appeared and then outstretched
the other. The butterfly was free!

It seemed to enjoy its freedom and walked along the edge of the mason jar
and along the edge of the mantle. But it didn't fly. At first the man
thought the wings needed time to dry, but time passed and still the
butterfly did not take off.

The man was worried and called up his neighbor who taught high school
science. He told the neighbor how he had found the cocoon, placed it in
the mason jar, and the terrible trembling as the butterfly struggled to
get out. When he described how he had carefully made a small slit in the
cocoon, the teacher stopped him. "Oh, that is the reason. You see, the
struggle is what gives the butterfly the strength to fly."

And so it is with us. Sometimes it's the struggles in life that strengthen
us the most.

Author Unknown