This week a Monarch butterfly has been following me...meeting me in the backyard, fluttering around on my front porch.

Once one even came so close I thought it would land on my shoulder and I was disappointed when he did a little spiral dance and darted over the fence.

I thought it odd to see one so late in the year. Usually they make Oklahoma by August, so this little guy was a bit behind...or maybe he had a message for me.

This morning another monarch came and I remembered…my grandfather plotted the flight of the monarchs every year. Do you know about the great Monarch migration? My grandfather taught me that these butterflies take flight in the spring from Mexico, fly all the way to Canada and then back home to Mexico in the fall. Now this is quite the incredible journey for such a small creature, but what I find really fascinating is that it takes 3-4 generations of butterflies each year to make the round trip flight. How do they do that? Can you imagine--one starts in Mexico, stops to mate, lay eggs and dies. The caterpillars emerge, experience transformation in the cocoon and then take flight where their parents left off.

I wonder, how do they know which way to fly? Do they ponder to themselves; "Is my part to fly north or south?" Do they ask other butterflies for direction? No. They just KNOW where to pick up and what their part is. Without question, each year the monarchs make the journey from Mexico to Canada. They don't question themselves. They rely on a powerful inner guidance system.

I want to be more like these amazing creatures! I am going to activate my inner Monarch.

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