My Chihuly appreciation began many years ago watching the sitcom Frasier. I had always admired a glorious vase-like, art glass stage prop that was always featured behind the sofa, along the wall in Frasier's apartment.  As it turns out, Frasier was a sitcom that was set in Seattle, where Dale Chihuly happens to reside.  Eventually I put two and two together on my own after happening upon a Chihuly exhibit in Orlando a few years ago.  I came away from that experience simply feeling glad to be alive. I felt like a kid in a candy store!

 

This past weekend I went to a Hearts at Home Conference in Grand Rapids. My friend and I got there early and scoped out the possible places we could go explore. I was excited to see the Fredrick Meijers Gardens was featuring some of Chihuly's work. So we set about getting there, only to take a wrong turn and arrive 15 minutes before they closed. We had to settle for a quick run through the gift shop where we oooed and ahhhed at some of his work they had there. I came away with an actual Venus Fly Trap, which was an unexpected little reward for our efforts...The kids are in awe.  It's already trapped 3 lady bugs.

 

Admiring and appreciating what Chihuly is able to do with glass is a welcome distraction from the more troubling details of life. I hope you have someone in your life inspiring you an infusing little rays of joy into your life....Someone or something that makes you glad to be alive!

  

Little Megan is quite the bug collector in our family. A few weeks ago she showed up with a Monarch caterpillar that she proceeded to place in a small jar with some butterfly weed leaves. The next thing I know, she brought this jar to me and a limey green chrysalis had formed. We set this jar aside, up atop a cabinet far out of the reach of the younger members of the family. We checked in daily and watched as golden streaks began forming inside it. 

 

Yesterday, at the doctors office with Sylvia and Megan we got to thinking about that chrysalis and realized we had not checked it the day before. We agreed to look as soon as we returned home. We learned about Dennis's passing just before we went in to see if the amazing transformation had taken place.

 

Imagine how thrilled we were as we looked up to the jar to find a fully formed Monarch in all its splendor. The children were thrilled and marveled at the transformation. What was really awesome was to see Megan's reaction. She decided she didn't want to keep this beautiful specimen God had created, as she had with other bugs she has collected in the past. Rather, she was eager to see it off to it's new home.

 

We gathered on the back porch and watched as Megan carefully opened the lid off the jar. She gently lifted it out of it's cramped space. It perched for a while on her little finger before finally fluttering off toward the heavens.

 

It was a poignant moment to behold as I could not help but think of our friend Dennis. He's no longer held back by his broken down, earthly body...He is fully restored and I praise and thank God for that!