The Story Behind the Butterfly

If you have read the poem "I Am Here with You Lord" in Volume 1 of "Love Light Revival" you may have wondered if there is a story behind the butterfly photo adjacent to the poem. Your discernment is correct. The photograph in itself is revealing a miracle and the story behind that miracle is even more amazing. The book cover was also inspired by this beautiful butterfly. The story starts when my wife and I were traveling home from a visit with my son's family in Madison, Wisconsin. As we were traveling on June 23, 2025, a beautiful tiger swallowtail butterfly hit the windshield and left a smudge. Now most people may not have pondered that incident further, but it truly did make me mourn over its sudden death. It took me back to the days when my brother and I used to catch butterflies and the tiger swallowtail was one of the many butterflies we both treasured due to its color, form, and beauty. As we traveled down the winding road my thoughts about that butterfly faded. Until we stopped about 30 minutes later at a TJ Maxx store parking lot in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. As I exited the car a beautiful tiger swallowtail appeared on my pant leg. I was so stunned by the sight of this butterfly; I called for my wife to come quickly and take a photo. That in itself was amazing because I pushed the door open and my right leg was still in the car as you can see in the photo. What is even more amazing is that when I started walking towards the store it would not leave my pant leg. I then reached down and the butterfly crawled on my finger but would not leave, so I talked to it for a few minutes. We decided to place it in the car to rest on my sweatshirt that was draped over the seat. When we returned back from the store the butterfly had vanished, nowhere to be found. I certainly don't think this was a coincidence. I believe this was God's way of telling me that he is always with me. He will never leave me. He knows my heart and every thought. Everything I feel and everything I think and, on this day, he wanted to reassure me that He loves me and all creatures large and small.

Praise the Lord! Amen!