A Dragonfly: Light and Change

In trying to catch up on this blog I found a picture I took just a few months into arriving on Maui.  It reminded me of the experience I had in finding it.  Looking back, I now realize how un-ordinary it was to see a dragonfly at one of the most popular beaches, and right where all the people were.  I have not seen one since and I have been here a year now.  They are usually more upcountry.

 I was sitting at the beach enjoying the beauty and the sounds of the ocean and trying to figure out how I ever got to live here!  I looked down to see a dragonfly there just in front of me.  It was beautiful and the bright colors on it matched the blue ocean.  It just stayed there for the longest time till I realized I could be missing the opportunity.  I got out my camera and it let me take a picture.  Soon after I took the picture, it fell to the ground and curled it's tail and died.  I was so saddened by this that I went home to read about the dragonfly and what it could mean for me.

When I got home I pulled out a book about animals and insects and how nature can speak to us.  Let me share.  Dragonflies develop more jewel-like coloring as they mature.  It was a mature one, evidently at the end of it's life cycle.  This can reflect how our own true colors come out with maturity.  Dragonflies inhabit 2 realms-water and air.   Early life they live within the water and as they mature and go through metamorpphosis they move into air.  This can indicate a period of change and transformation.  Dragonflies adapt well.  Summer is their most powerful time as they need the warmth of the light and the sun.  It suggests spending time in the water and sun which will be beneficial for restoring and changing health conditions.   It also has the ability to reflect and refract light and color, representing new light and joy.

I followed Garth here, but I came to heal, as I have found many people do.  I am so filled with joy that I am here, where the pace is slower and the climate is more mild. I will adapt.  I intend to take time to learn, grow and mature, and let the water and the sun restore my strength for whatever may lie ahead.  I have much to do in life still with children to care for and desire to serve well.  I am grateful for the gift from God, for a beautiful respite where I can increase in light as I learn and gain strength for the journey ahead.   Thank you for the reminder and the focus.  I am grateful I was able to witness the beauty of a mature insect in it's last few moments of life.  I will have joy in every moment here!