Lately, I feel like I’m living in a verse of Old McDonald’s nursery rhyme, “Here a moth, there a moth, everywhere a moth, moth” and the same with grasshoppers. Normally, if I find a moth inside it’s usually hiding “under cover” by a curtain. Sometimes they are so stealthy that, unfortunately, I only find them after they have died. However, not lately. I see them everywhere outside. I even had one in my place brazenly circling around in front of me as if announcing just how “here and there” it was! Simultaneously, everywhere I go lately is a grasshopper dancing at my feet or jumping around in the air by me.

My curiosity was piqued—was there a practical message?

Moths and grasshoppers both love the heat. In fact, they thrive in heat. Still curious, I looked within myself—and listened; up popped the thought how sometimes in our lives the “heat really gets turned up.” Sudden and life changing events happen. Various stressors seem to mount one on top of another, and it’s horribly uncomfortable! These are not the easy things of life—these are the ones that initially feel impossible to get through. We can feel lost and get turned inside out and upside down.

There are times when the intensity of the heat in our lives causes us to shrivel and constrict. Survival mode is all we can muster. Recently, someone had a personal message for me, and it was, “Don’t give up until the miracle happens.” I don’t know in what form a miracle will come—but being in recovery long enough has taught me that there’s always a way through whatever the “intense heat” is. It is true that there are times survival is just where we’re at, but through the healing work of recovery we won’t stay there.

I think the message today from the moths and grasshoppers is to remind us of the vast potential we have amid the “intense heat” that comes into our lives. Interestingly enough, they both also represent “transformation.” They are examples for us that we are able to come through some of the worst conditions/situations and actually thrive. Initially, we may not flourish when the intense heat in our lives fires up—but if we don’t quit, and we seek support as we continue our healing journey —there is a transformative miracle that will unfold in our lives!

Cheri Thomas

Cheri works as a Peer Support Specialist for RI in Arizona. She has experienced loss and grief which has led her to write for the masses to bring voice to those in similar situations. Cheri possesses a deep passion to share with, encourage, and inspire others on what she calls the Journey of the Heart.