Letter 10 - Do You Think This is True??

Hello Bregdan Woman,

Do you know that sometimes the best help is to not help at all?

Hmmm… Is this really true? That sometimes the best help is to not help at all?

This can be a strange concept for Bregdan Women who are focused on making a difference, and also on making things happen. Which makes it even more important to understand!

Let me tell you about Sophia…

Sophia has a tender heart and loves to help animals of every kind in her Australian town. Which makes what happened in this letter totally understandable.

She learned a lesson she has never forgotten!

“What is this? I can’t tell.” Curious, Sophia stepped closer to peer at the apricot tree bordering her yard, so she could get a better look at it. Her daily adventures into nature often rewarded her with treasures from nature. She enjoyed her discoveries and always regarded her finds with great respect. She already knew she wanted to be an environmentalist, just like her father, when she grew up.

What had she found attached to a branch of the apricot tree? She examined the pear-shaped, silken cocoon carefully. She thought about the nature books her parents filled her bookshelves with.

Recognizing it as an emperor moth’s cocoon, Sophia decided to keep it. She detached the cocoon from the branch, gently scooped it into her chest pocket and meandered home. Placing the cocoon into a clear container, Sophia felt excitement course through her.

She could hardly wait to be a witness to the moth emerging from its cocoon.

A few days passed. Sophia spent hours in her room waiting for the moment.

She was watching when a small opening appeared in the hard cocoon. The wait was over! She wanted to call her parents to watch the miracle with her, but they were out.

Sophia sat and watched for several hours as the moth struggled to force its body through a tiny, tiny hole.

Then…

The moth seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther.

The majestic moth was stuck.

What was she supposed to do? Her parents weren’t there to ask. Finally, Sophia couldn’t just sit and watch any longer. It was time to take action and help the moth. Surely, that was the reason she had found the cocoon.

Using a small pair of scissors, she snipped off a bit of the cocoon and freed her emperor moth. Now the moth emerged easily.

Sophia’s delighted smile faded quickly into a concerned frown.

It was clear that something was wrong . . . very wrong. The moth had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.

Confident she had done the right thing, Sophia continued to watch the moth. She was certain that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand. She expected the moth to be able to support the body which would contract in time.

Neither happened!

She was still watching helplessly when her parents came home.

Heartbreakingly, the little moth spent the rest of its very short life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It was never able to fly.

What had gone wrong?

Sophia’s dad gently explained that the restricting cocoon and the moth’s struggle for freedom was a requirement for survival. The moth needed to struggle through the tiny opening. It was nature’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the moth into its wings so that it would be ready for flight.

Its freedom and flight would only come after the struggle.

By depriving the moth of a struggle, Sophia deprived the moth of the reason it was created. Meant to fly, it never lifted from the ground.

Can you see how this is often true for humans?

There are times to help – there are times to NOT help.

The struggles in our lives give us strength. If we were to go through our life without any obstacles (not that any of us would ever achieve that!), we would be crippled. Crippled emotionally. Crippled mentally.

I know it is never easy to struggle. It sucks.

I know it’s certainly never easy to watch someone you care about with their struggles.

But, here are some things to think about.

If we never let children struggle with learning to walk, we would all be carrying around some mighty big kids!

What if we never made any mistakes? Would we learn anything?

If everything in life worked out the first time, how many inventions would have been missed?

Sophia believed she was doing the right thing when she stepped in to help the struggling moth.

I believe we’re all like that. We want to help and make it better. I know I do that. Writing this letter taught me valuable lessons. I needed to be reminded.

The need to struggle is true for everyone you know. It’s true for you. It’s true for me.

I know I need to wait and let the struggle run its course. I have to overcome the obstacles and let the fight create the strength necessary to spread my wings and fly.

When I look at others, out of love, I must allow the struggle to do its work.

I know it’s not easy, but I believe the outcome is worth the wait.

I encourage you to believe in yourself enough to allow the obstacles to stand.

I encourage you to struggle through to freedom and flight.

I challenge you to encourage others around you to do the same.

What struggle are you experiencing now? Will you let the struggle do what it’s meant to do?

Who do you love that is struggling?

Who do you love that needs to struggle through in order to find their strength?

Let’s both learn from Sophia and let life teach us how to be strong and free Bregdan Women who can spread our wings and fly!

Let’s give every obstacle an opportunity to become our strength.

Final question – one I will ask every day… What will you do today to impact history??

I’m on this journey with you!

Ginny

Thanks for reading From Ginny Dye - I Am A Bregdan Woman!! This post is public so feel free to share it.