A Slight Delay

I remember walking down Park Avenue in East Rutherford one day years ago and wondering why, in the spring, one of the trees was a brilliant autumn orange. It stood out, even from several blocks away.

When I got closer, I found out why. Every available inch of the tree was covered with Monarch butterflies. The leaves and branches were a blaze of black and orange, and other butterflies swooped around the tree in lazy, graceful arcs. The sight of it stopped me dead in my tracks.

I felt for a second like some kinda suburban Moses standing in front of a burning (or winged) bush. Supposedly, Moses couldn’t look directly on the face of God. That fleeting moment was a reminder, though, that we unexpectedly–and sometimes obliquely–find ourselves face to face with God.