From Kat

God's tapestry of abundant care for us is revealed in many ways. The notes and stories sent to me are certainly part of this. The comments from this gal I met when we moved to Oostburg in 2014 gave me clarity on something I have been mulling over for 18 months.

“Oh, Nancy, you beautiful woman! As I've been painting a chair with the theme Embrace Change, I've thought of you and prayed for you so often. As I painted caterpillars, I've thought of how they adapt to each instar or change, shedding a skin that is too small for what they will become. And then they stop eating and anchor themselves to something stronger than they are...and they shed everything they have known before and rest in what they are becoming. And then that day comes when they emerge as glorious butterflies, able to soar instead of crawl. And you will soar!”  -- Kat

In September 2019 I felt like the word transformation was going to be a big part of my life. I wrote it on my bathroom mirror, right under the heading Eternal Perspective, and pondered these words for days and weeks. The subtleties of the transformation process fill my thoughts, like watching the ever-present monarchs through their long life cycle in my yard. From the fragrant blossoming of the milkweeds, to the vulnerable laying of the colorful caterpillars on the milkweed leaves, their transformation is an important part of my summer. I make wooden signs and pound them along the roadside, asking the township to call my roadside a  “No Mow” zone. Turns out, they have similar concerns and honor my request, and for our entire road.

I think about the pain in the process. The wriggling. The unknown. The loss. And now, as I am letting go with my heart and my hands, freer than ever before, I am more excited about each day. I never had to be in control. I never had to worry. I can just trust in Him. He is in control. It is His Power at work.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine,
according to his power that is at work within us.  -- Ephesians 3:20 NIV

Artwork and photo by Kat Wynveen