Doubt

Years ago, I read a short story by Michael Thomas Ford. I have forgotten the title, but there was a little boy, cake, butterflies, and a much-loved grandmother who had died. The boy put a slice of cake by an open window, or outside, and butterflies came to take tiny crumbs of it. Butterflies are messengers to and from the other world. The boy was sharing cake with his grandmother.

This story stayed with me so strongly that I think of it whenever I see a butterfly.

Years ago, my mother and I were visiting the graves of her parents and grandmother. As we stood there, two butterflies appeared. “Look,” I said, “They know we're here.” And my mother quietly replied, “I love you, honey.”

Perhaps, like me, you are a writer. Perhaps, like me, you often doubt yourself. But never doubt the power of the written word; the power of story.