525. The garden one wide banquet spreads for thee, O daintiest reveler of the joyous earth! ~Thomas Wentworth Higginson, Edmund Clarence Stedman

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Thou spark of life that wavest wings of gold,
Thou songless wanderer mid the songful birds,
With Nature’s secrets in thy tints unrolled
Through gorgeous cipher, past the reach of words,
Yet dear to every child 
in glad pursuit beguiled
Living his unspoiled days mid flowers and flocks and herds!
Excerpt from Ode to a Butterfly by
~Thomas Wentworth Higginson, Edmund Clarence Stedman

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A butterfly is one of the pollinating insects that carries and moves a flower’s grains of pollen around, and its labors enable fertilization and subsequent sexual reproduction. Given that, the butterfly is owed a debt of gratitude by us and the flower because its dance seems to be not only an act of celebratory reverence but also an act of jubilant purpose.  And who among us mortals, either young or old, finds not joy in the butterfly’s gleeful and beguiling dance.

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I often wonder why people who are easily wowed by the technology wrought of human hands fail to realize that without a dance, a marvel of Divine technology as seemingly insignificant as that of the bee and butterfly, that which supports our very existence would first be in great peril and then cease to exist. Neither do these individuals acknowledge that their ability to create technology is a gift, one not earned or designed by their own limited ability. The simple truth is that flowers cannot continue to exist without the help of a gracious and generous “pollinating” benefactor and neither can mankind. Each mortal’s life then should be a dance, an offering of reverent and joyful thankfulness to the Creator whose technology it is that creates life, enables the continuance of it, and gives us the intellect we need to create man-made technology.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. ~Psalm 139:13-14   ✝

**Images via Pinterest

21 thoughts on “525. The garden one wide banquet spreads for thee, O daintiest reveler of the joyous earth! ~Thomas Wentworth Higginson, Edmund Clarence Stedman”

  2. Amen to your wonders—it is amazing how folks are so awed and wowed by what is wrought my the hand of man, failing to even notice that which falls from the hands of God!!!
    Love the image —you now how I love those mixed media pieces 🙂
    happy Wednesday Natalie—Julie

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    • Yes, I do know how you like those mixed media pieces and that’s one of the primary reasons I chose that one for this post. Man indeed seems to be able to be wowed by his own works but sadly some as you said don’t even notice or acknowlege what falls from the hands of God. Today is James’ birthday so we’ll do some fun things and then have dinner with our daughter and her family. I pray you have a happy day too. Love and hugs, N ❤ ❤ ❤

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  4. You tell’em Natalie. Every single living thing has a purpose – and the loss of or extinction of any living thing, will cause a chain reaction of darkness and cold. I LOVE this message, it’s truth, a truth many need to not only hear and realize, but begin to live their lives by. ❤ ❤ ❤

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  8. “its dance seems to be not only an act of celebratory reverence but also an act of jubilant purpose”
    –Wow Natalie. I love this. The idea of technology and God’s technology. And realizing that we don’t produce anything in and of ourselves or our own ability.
    I love the imagery of the ‘dance’. This is such a beautiful line.
    p.s. by the way, where did you find that textured photo at the top of this post?

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    • Thank you, Staci. I’m glad you found things you really liked in the post. I found the textured image on Pinterest. I’d love to know how to do something like that. I’ve found several things like that that I have used with other posts. Hugs, N
      🙂 ❤

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  9. Stunning… The Excerpt from Ode to a Butterfly, plus your insights and the beautiful flower over here make a perfect post, dear Natalie ⭐
    I send you all my best wishes!, thanks for sharing!,
    Aquileana 😛

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