When our daughters were becoming independent young women, I was sitting on a dock at sunset thinking about how they had grown through the years.  All of a sudden I had an epiphany. These are the words I wrote in that moment so many years ago; how true they ring today as our three daughters have fully spread their wings into adulthood:

AN EPIPHANY

THREE SISTERS

THE BEE, THE BUTTERFLY and THE SPIDER

THE BEE…DEFENSIVE AND TERRITORIAL; SECRETES PHEROMONES TO CONTROL THE WILL OF OTHERS; CREATOR OF NATURES SOUGHT AFTER SWEETEST NECTAR; PROTECTOR OF ITS HOME AND DEFENDER OF ITS TREASURE; CARRIER TO THE SEEDS OF BEAUTY

THE BUTTERFLY…BEAUTIFUL AND FRAGILE; DRINKS IN THE NECTAR OF LIFE; CHANGING AND ENDURING; SEEKS THE LIGHT AND WARMTH; ITS POWDERED WINGS HELP SPREAD THE SEEDS OF BEAUTY

THE SPIDER…CUNNING INTELLIGENCE; LETHAL BEAUTY, CREATES ITS INTRICATE HOME IN TUNE WITH THE ROTATION OF THE UNIVERSE; RIDS THE WORLD OF PEST; PRECISE AND EFFICIENT; KEEPS THE BALANCE IN NATURE

WITHOUT THE BEE, THE BUTTERFLY AND THE SPIDER THIS WORLD IS NO LONGER A PLACE I WOULD WANT TO BE…

When our youngest daughter returned home after serving in the military, she touched our heart with a tattoo of my epiphany poem I wrote for them. She added her own words to make it come full circle on the side of her leg to carry it with her through life.

The Dragonfly represents someone dear we lost in their childhood that watches over us all. The leather wrapping the dream catcher is their father that keeps us safe with binding strength. The feathers wick away their tears with soft touches and love, she said I represent the feathers in her protective dream catcher that holds us all. This, by far, is the greatest thing ever written in the flesh.