Tag: butterflies

February Hope Breathers

Trudy Den Hoed29 Comments

Someday We Will Understand

Her little body wracked by RSV, Covid, and pneumonia, our 1-1/2 year old great-granddaughter, Lily, was struggling to get enough oxygen. Filled with worry, we begged God for a miracle. In the same week, God gave us the precious gift of a new great-grandson, Caynen. Grief and joy. Fear of loss vs. new life. (Thank God, the grief over Lily turned to joy when God healed her.)

As I reflected on the coexistence of grief and joy in life, I thought of how both painful experiences and God’s faithful love are a part of His weaving for our lives. We often see a messy blur of trauma, trials, evil, and injustice in the world and in our lives. But if we step back and see it from God’s perspective, we see how God is interweaving those dark times with the brightness of His new-every-morning mercies, His amazing grace, and the golden threads of His unconditional love even during those times when we didn’t see it.

We can never fully understand everything that happens, but one day we will see the full picture and be amazed by how God brought all things together to create the beauty of His purpose.

“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.”
Lamentations 3:22-23

Jesus replied, “You do not realize
now what I am doing,
but later you will understand.”
John 13:7

“For I know the plans I have for you,”
declares the Lord,
“plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11

It’s the Size of Our God That Counts

“It is not the size of your faith, but the object of your faith that matters.”
~ Tim Keller

“While faith is a very precious grace, yet it is only the medium of the communication of God’s infinite love and power, and we must never put it in the place of God Himself.”
~ John Alexander Dowie

“Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time.”
~ Oswald Chambers

Nature Retreat

Photos Courtesy of My Brother

Amazing photos of a Hooded Merganser pair and of the female downing her goldfish lunch
I sure hope these robins are coming our way! I’m longing for spring!
An “Impolite” Cow
Newborn Calf

I just came across this collage I made
years ago from some of my butterfly photos
and thought I’d share it again.
FLY FREE in JESUS!

October Hope Breathers

Trudy Den Hoed39 Comments

Remembering God’s Faithfulness

“Everything about God is great, vast, incomparable. He never forgets, never fails, never falters, never forfeits His word. To every declaration of promise or prophecy the Lord has exactly adhered, every engagement of covenant or threatening He will make good.” ~ A.W. Pink

“There is more safety with Christ in the tempest than without Christ in the calmest waters.” ~ Alexander Grosse

“The same everlasting Father who cares for you today will take care of you today and every day. He will either shield you from suffering or will give you unfailing strength to bear it.” ~ St. Francis de Sales

“In the darkest hour, when I cannot breathe
Fear is on my chest, the weight of the world on me
Everything is crashing down, everything I had known
When I wonder if I’m all alone

I remember, I remember
You have always been faithful to me
I remember, I remember
Even when my own eyes could not see
You were there, always there…”

Nature Retreat

“The natural world provides humanity with untold gifts.
It cleans water, pollinates plants and provides
pharmaceuticals, among others.
Thirty trillion dollars worth of services,
scot-free to humanity, every year.”
E. O. Wilson

Pollinators Are Important

I loved going to this pollinator plot. Sometimes we don’t realize the impact pollinators have on our environment. And it inspires me to be a pollinator of love and kindness in this world. 🙂






Did you know that squirrels stash away so many nuts that they forget where some of them are hidden? These forgotten nuts often grow into trees, meaning they play a role in conserving our ecosystem!

 “The squirrels hoard nuts
and the bee gathers honey,
without knowing what they do,
and they are thus provided for
without selfishness or disgrace.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson.

March Hope Whispers

Trudy Den Hoed24 Comments

Truths That Breathe Hope

❤️ God’s Love Faithfully Remains With Us ❤️

“Be strong and courageous.
Do not be afraid or terrified because of them,
for the Lord your God goes with you;
He will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV

❤️ God’s Love Graciously Forgives Us ❤️

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, 
the forgiveness of sins,
in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”
Ephesians 1:7 NIV

❤️ God’s Love Fully Frees Us ❤️

“Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah,
His blood poured out on the altar of the Cross,
we’re a free people—free of penalties and punishments
chalked up by all our misdeeds.
And not just barely free, either.
Abundantly free!”
Ephesians 1:7 The Message

“When I’m kicking and screaming
When I struggle believing
God, You are always faithful
No matter what
When my eyes cannot see it
And my heart doesn’t feel it
God, You are always faithful
No matter what
No matter what…”

Spring Breathes Hope

The robins are here! Yes! Even though we’re still having cold days, it’s a sign that breathes life and hope. We so need that in these troubling times, don’t we? What part of spring breathes hope in your heart?

🦋 “And springtime rallies at the touch of the breath of God.” – Unknown

🦋 “Spring is far more than just a changing of seasons; it’s a rebirth of the spirit.” – Toni Sorenson

🦋 “A life without love is like a year without spring.” – Octavian Paler

Our Suffering Matters to God

All the violence, abuse of power, and painful losses in this troubling world is devastating. So many are suffering loss and pain at home and abroad. Because of this, we may tend to beat ourselves up when we murmur over our own troubles and struggles.

Do you ever minimize your own troubles because others have it worse? Do you ever feel selfish when you feel complaints in your heart over your own suffering? This month God used this blog post to remind me our struggles are always valid to Him. And it’s both necessary and healthy to acknowledge and grieve our own suffering. – Your Suffering Is Valid, Even When Others Have It Worse by Shannon.

“I understand what we are trying to do when we play down our troubles because they are small in comparison to what others are experiencing. We’re trying to put things in perspective so we can be grateful, avoid feeling sorry for ourselves, and be compassionate to others. However, I think minimizing our troubles can sometimes be harmful. It leads us to ignore our feelings, which can increase our stress, cause feelings of self-doubt, harm our self-esteem, and heighten our anxiety.”

“We’re not required to choose between acknowledging either our suffering or their suffering; we can acknowledge both our suffering and their suffering.”

Shannon from Of The Hearth

Nature Retreat

“Perhaps the butterfly is proof
that you can go through a great deal of darkness
yet become something beautiful.”
– Beau Taplin –

“Just when the caterpillar
thought the world was over,
it became a butterfly.”
– Chang Tzu –

I’ve been thinking lately of how a butterfly must struggle first to become beautiful and freed to fly. So this month my heart feels nudged to share some of the butterfly photos I took in 2012 at the butterfly house and to remember why I named this site Freed to Fly.