My friend Gill has sent me the lovely photo of a Red Admiral Butterfly basking on a pink sedum plant.
The Cedum is noted for the bountiful provision of nectar, hence the attraction.  Or is it just that?

A few years ago, a very dear friend died and within a very short period, a Peacock Butterfly had made its way into the home. It wasn’t the most seasonal time of year for such a butterfly but it stayed around.

There is a view in folklore that when someone special dies, a butterfly will come quietly to the home.  It is as if the butterfly touches you with some kind of assurance that your Loved one are OK. It is usually someone who has brought passion or deep love into your life. I’ve read that such a person is often someone who knew how to live life deeply.

This fits in with the colour red. Both the Peacock butterfly and the Red Admiral have touches of Red, though to be accurate, most of the Red Admiral is black and some of the colour splashes are orange.

Because, quite often, the Read Admiral and the Peacock fly close to and even on you, people sometimes talk about being blessed. You are certainly unlikely to miss them with their striking colours! It might be also that thinking about how the Butterfly flight is linked with someone who has died, then there may well be a message to contemplate.

There is a Christian interpretation about the colour red which links life here with life in heaven. Red is the colour the Church uses to convey the dynamism of the Holy Spirit. The tongues of flames at Pentecost are, like flame itself, tinged deeply with red. This is also the colour of love and God pours His love abundantly and freely upon us. This is particularly special when we are hurting and bereft. Red also is the colour of ‘martyrdom’ , witness. That the kind of ‘witness’ that draws its strength from the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross.

Two of  the things many have been doing over the past week since Our Gracious Sovereign Lady, Queen Elizabeth died is to ‘reflect’ on her guiding principles, faith and character as we ‘give gratitude’ for her life.
It is partly those two things which encourage us to pray for King Charles and all who will share with him in the true leadership of our United Kingdom and Commonwealth.

As we form our hopes for the future so we now entrust Queen Elizabeth into God’s hands,
in the certain hope that she will receive the gift of Eternal Life. That’s the kind of assurance God likes to give so maybe the Butterfly has a calling card to leave!

[Mr.G.]

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