Frieda A”H (OBM!) had passed in January. That was one battle that I could not see to victory, a fight that I could not . . . . I stood by myself at her funeral, lost and alone, despite all who were there. After those nearly 8 years, I was a mess. Caretaker for her last year, I ‘soldiered’ through, but I knew that she was the ‘cement’ that held our family together, and that proved to be true at her funeral. alone again, naturally.
Went to my Rabbi after, and he listened, and told me to date and to go do what I do, photograph butterflies, my personal l quest of G-d’s infinite beauty. Too much singing to myself of one of my favs, ‘I Loaded Sixteen Tons,’ the loneliness was quenched by wngedbeauty.com, heading into the meadows, trails, fields, mountains, fens, swamps, marshes and forests of the United States, Canada and Israel.
For those who know me, and still don’t understand why I pursue butterflies, wherever they can be found, no more can be said to them then that they are my antidote to a challenging life, to growing up kinda poor and carrying cold steel, to too much being misunderstood, necessitating too much correction of that situation, and such.
Achievements? Many. I was at one time very successful in real estate (very), I lost few dust-ups, I sent kids to excellent private schools and to Ivies. I really was a NYARNGuard artillery officer. I had no trouble looking myself in the mirror (I’m kind of a Popeye guy) and that first marriage was good, very good.
This because in a few days I will no longer post on wingedbeauty.com. It never did attract 20,000, but y’all, you are the creme de la creme (Apologies to the French), and I will always be indebted to you, you Esthetes.
Here I was that same year, June it was, on the peak of Mt. Hermon in the HolyLand (Israel). Eran Banker was my guide, he took this picture of me. I ‘d lost Frieda months before, but my Angel of a wife had, even near the end, told me to go, “Photograph,” “Go enjoy yourself.” I went and I did. I found many super rare butterflies that day, up there on that bone dry mountain top, it about 95F. G-d was along with us, highlighted when Eran found that land mine, in an area that I was ‘working.’
Today. Happy again. Happily (very) married. Living in the beautiful Piedmont of Georgia, in North Macon. Never been shot, Served, Loved, Never Been Stuck, Ended My Short Flirtation With ‘Them,’ Had 4 healthy children, Loved high school Biology teaching, Loved my years of Manhattan real estate foray and as Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, survived the treachery of false friends.
The smile you see on me? Real. Look at where I was! look at what I’ve done and accomplished. Look at how I’ve continued to march to my own drummer, and look how I am still very much me.
I’ve gone long here. Shared my high and lows, some. I really appreciate you, who are reading this.
Jeff
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Winged Beauty Butterflies 