The Butterfly Circus
Today has been a beautiful and glorious spring day filled with reminders of grace, self-sacrifice, love, and gratitude and I just have to share this short video I came across, entitled “The Butterfly Circus.”
Video Synopsis – At the height of the Great Depression, the showman (Eduardo Verastegui) of a renowned circus leads his troupe through the devastated American landscape, lifting the spirits of audiences along the way. During their travels they discover Will (Nick Vujicic), a man without limbs at a carnival sideshow, but after an intriguing encounter with the showman he becomes driven to hope against everything he has ever believed. You can view it here: The Butterfly Circus.
This short film sums up my journey thus far…from basically being on my last leg (literally and figuratively, or so I thought) to now. This film reminded me of Jan and her tagline for Health Naturally … “follow the butterflies.”
The health transformation I have gone through in the last couple years has been nothing short of miraculous! As the butterfly transforms and emerges from within the cocoon to travel thousand of miles on “WINGS OF AIR”, this story illustrates how “who we think we are…so we become.”
Each of us must rise above what others think of us and how we have defined ourselves by our own self-limiting beliefs of what we are capable of to find our heart and soul within. We are miraculous and beautiful beings despite whatever flaws or shortcomings we see in ourselves or others have placed upon us.
My healing journey began with Jan believing enough in me to hire me as a store clerk when I was no longer sure I was able to give back or do for others. When I ran out of energy, many wonderful healers patched me up at one time or another until I was able to rely on myself and continue to be kind, share, and work through the difficulties despite how I felt. Emotionally, it sure did feel good to help others and feel needed. It helped me believe in myself once again.
Funny, even though I worked in mental health for many years, for quite some time I wasn’t able to see beyond my physical state and I no longer believed in my own abilities to help myself heal.
What I have learned is to look inside; beyond the picture frame of how others see me and to focus on my abilities versus the limitations. After all, it’s not the outward appearance that matters. I have learned that I am not my job, my accomplishments, my appearance, or my strengths, and abilities. I now know if I lose any of these outward skill sets or qualities, and If I depend on them solely to define who I am, it becomes very easy to believe I no longer matter. What’s inside is what truly counts!
Having had each of you by my side at different parts of this journey has helped me realize what was inside of me all along. Each of you has made a difference. The path has been arduous and difficult at times; a winding bumpy road and I have back-tracked, side-stepped, and stopped moving forward altogether during different legs of this journey. However, I am no longer concerned with the destination and I have learned the journey and the path I have been given have provided many valuable and beautiful lessons that have been far more rewarding than what my expectations and desires had been.
I look forward to what awaits and I am certainly glad I was blessed with “R(W)ingmasters” such as yourselves to help me find my own way. I am no longer stuck in my own cocoon, wrapped tightly within my own self-doubt and pain struggling to be set free. I have become strong enough to set myself free; to confront whatever holds me back.
I have learned health and wellness doesn’t need to be a fight but rather an acceptance of my own circumstances and being OK with wherever I am at any given time in my life. This caterpillar has found its wings and how magnificent it has been for the butterfly that has emerged to learn that those wings are made of air!
BTW…I am still working on the sequel to this journey entitled, “Wings of Air.” I will keep you posted when I learn what will transpire next!?!?!
I hope you enjoy the film and find it inspiring. It’s worth the 20 minutes of your time.
Thank you so much. I am so grateful,
Barb Casper
“The greater the struggle, the more glorious the triumph!”
