My Butterfly

So, it is official. She got the ring last night. He is such a romantic! He made her lunch, presented her with a rose, and they danced, then he got on his knee and asked her to marry him. awwww!

Anyway, we knew this was coming for quite some time. He has been talking to me about the ring. He had it made. He really did a good job on the design. It has a blue topaz stone in the middle (Ashley's birthstone), and diamonds down the side of the band. At either side of the shank are butterflies. Butterflies are a significant feature because of a poem she wrote in the summer of 2009 while Jeremy was on his mission in Chile.

So, the poem. Well, let me give you a little background. Ashley and Jeremy have know each other since she was almost 12. We moved to Indiana just a couple months before her 12th birthday, and he and his family went to our church. It was not til she was about 16 and he was 17 that they started noticing each other in a different way. Finally they became an item.

About a year or so after they started dating, we found out that we were moving to Louisiana. Jeremy came to visit one time just before he left on his mission. He told her he wanted her to date other guys while he was gone for two years. She did, but just was not all that impressed. There were a lot of really nice guys, but not like Jeremy. So, the butterfly in the poem she has written is Jeremy. At the end of this post, I will post it.

Now, let me get back to the wedding. Since I have been making jewelry for quite some time now, I figured I should be the one to make the wedding jewelry. I found some really pretty Swarovski crystal butterflies in yellow and blue. I had some freshwater pearls and mother of pearls that I have been hanging on to for the right thing. I also had some really pretty crystals on hand. I ordered a Swarovski pearl drop. This is what I came up with--a necklace for the bride, and earrings. I also made me a pair of the earrings. I just thought they were really pretty.

My Butterfly

I caught a butterfly one summer day
He was not ordinary in any way
The wings were colorful, dark and strong
The unique design was everything but wrong.

This butterfly stayed by my side
He would find me, if I tried to hide
The connection we had was quite majestic
The feeling grew, you could not ignore it.

We both fell into each others trap
A tender affection caught us during a nap
It seemed to happen very fast
Oh but this love was great, and would last.

Then one stormy summer evening came
The wind blew in and nothing would ever be the same
It was a memorable and vivid day
That quickly took my butterfly away.

As I watched him being swept gone by the wind
In my heart I knew this could not be the end
My eyes became wet as I started to cry
Longing for and missing my butterfly.

I knew he would be safe but with his scent in the air
I turned around and cried “Bring him back here!”
I did not want to go on my next journey alone
But I knew I must if I ever wanted him home.

I traveled many days and many nights
Without my butterfly as my guiding light
In my dreams he frequently appeared.
But I always woke up to face what I feared.

Then one summer afternoon with the sun high in the sky
I found in my hand my sweet butterfly
He came back for me and kissed me so dear
He brushed away every ounce of my fear.

We walked together in the meadow again
Grateful for every moment we had to spend
Then he turned to me and said
What we both so dearly dread.

“I must leave you one last time
Hear me out and you’ll be fine
I’m going on a most important errand
I’ve been called of God, as His holy servant.

But if you stay strong and pure
Continue your journey and listen to the Lord
And if there are no other butterflies in your hand
I will come back to you again.”

And with that sweet and tender verse
That was beautifully written and carefully rehearsed
He looked me longingly in the eye
Hoping he would always be my butterfly.

And now as I sit and think of the past
The great times we had while it last
I imagine the day of his return
Being free of worry and concern.

And as other butterflies flutter near
The voices sing to me so dear
I talk with them but always find
None of them as beautiful as my butterfly.

So I continue to wait for the day
When my butterfly will be here to stay
He’ll fly into my hands and sing to me words so true
With passion bursting through his wings, a gentle “I love you.”

And in that moment we’ll be assured
That us being together is the will of the Lord
And we’ll never have another ‘goodbye’
Together forever with my butterfly.

--Ashley Jeanette Carter

22 August 2009