The Legend of the Butterfly Angels, Legend Series, Book 1

By Ron Blaha

Often when we think of our children, or any other children for that matter, we worry about how vulnerable they are and in so many different ways. As infants, we worry about their basic needs, like food and warmth or whether the formula is either too hot or too cold. And later on, as they advance from crawling to walking, we celebrate their wonderful achievements, but we also worry about falls they might have or “what they might get into.” In fact, there are so many stages of growth, and even sub-stages, that it is impossible to know or to predict what children of any age might do or think about, especially as they become aware of their peers.
As a widowed father who reared two daughters from the ages of three and five years old, I now understand how difficult life can be for them, especially for young girls as they evolve from their preteen years and into adolescence. Boys seem to worry about being strong enough or smart enough or even clever enough, but in many cases, they will simply emulate their dads or some other strong male role model because it is the “grown-up” thing to do. But girls are more likely to worry about self-image, even at a very young age.
In my case, there were times when I wondered if my girls and I even lived on the same planet as I tried to reach them. But now after having watched them grow to become beautiful “moms” themselves, I understand that in so many ways, not only was I not on the same planet, but in all probability, I was not even in the same solar system.
Every child, however, has basic needs just to survive like all of us. But there are other needs that in many ways are almost as important if our children are to become secure adults. Warmth, not the kind you get from your furnace but the kind that comes from your arms, your words, or your lips, are vital necessities if children are to become well-adjusted. And when a child knows unconditionally that he or she is loved and accepted for who they are, then in most cases they will flourish and make us so proud to be their moms or their dads.
The Legend of the Butterfly Angels is about the need to belong and to be free to be who we really are. It is a story about caring, loving, believing, sharing, blessings, heroism, and how in time it is possible to understand (if we will only listen) why God has put each one of us on His beautiful earth.
The story begins with Chloe Caterpillar, a little brown “girl,” who believes that she is ugly and that she has no friends. And because of this belief, Chloe knows that she is doomed to a life of loneliness and without anyone to care for her. Therefore, she attempts to hide herself from “all of the creatures in the forest.” But because of Mason Monkey’s caring ways, he went in search of Mrs. Wise Owl who he believed would help Chloe Caterpillar to realize that it would not be possible for her to always remain the same.
Mrs. Wise Owl would eventually snuggle Chloe up under her soft and fluffy wing and tell her why many eons ago, one of her tiny ancestors by the name of Angelina Caterpillar had been rewarded the “Miracle of Miracles” because of her sheer determination and heroism that was required to save a village and all of the people and the animals who lived there. And because of her unselfish courage, all future generations of caterpillars would forever more have the same “Miracle of Miracles” bestowed upon them. “You will not only be admired for your beauty, she said, “but you will be accepted by all other creatures on our beautiful earth.” “But now you must go back down by the pool at the garden gate and wrap yourself in your favorite Mulberry leaf...”
“It’s true, it’s true”, Chloe shouted to Mason Monkey as she kissed the lovely flowers and brightened the cloudless sky with her golden wings, and in time she would cause lots of children to shout, “Look Mom, there goes Chloe Butterfly!”

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ron Blaha
• Release date: Feb 7, 2017
• ISBN: 9780692844083

Ron Blaha

Like so many people today, I have been both widowed and divorced and have had the good fortune to rear a wonderful family. But that was many years ago. Today my claim to fame is simply that I am an old man with some stories to tell that are rich in substance, and in most cases they are true accounts surrounding my long life. In fact, I am so old, that I have out lived all of the others which makes me the last of the old time riverboat captains who is still plying the James and Appomattox Rivers in Central Virginia. My earliest memories and my love of the rivers stem from the 1940's when as a four year old, I would tag along with my father who was the skipper of the tugboat Atlas. It was an exciting time to be on the rivers too, as steam tugs were fading from view and new fangled diesel engines although they still had no gears were fast becoming state of the art machines. And like my dad, I became a tugboat skipper. But as I got older, I felt a strong urge to become a writer, partly because I realized at a young age that if anyone was to ever record first hand those marvelous and fast changing maritime years on the James and Appomattox Rivers, then it had to be me. And so at the age of twenty eight when I was an "Old Man" I was able to squeeze in between ship docking and barge towing responsibilities a liberal arts degree from Richard Bland College of the College of William and Mary. And when the U.S. Coast Guard began to require all skippers of tugs to be licensed, I received one of the first licenses, and that was in 1973. And fortunately for me, when others have had to give up their licenses because of some unmet requirement, I am still maintaining a master captain's credential with the United States Coast Guard.In 1976 when I was a young man I developed my own tugboat company and operated it for more than twenty years before I gave it up. But the company who now owns and operates it still prefers to keep the name, Blaha Towing Company. My boating experience however, is not limited to only these local rivers. I am also a sailor as well as a power boater. For ten years I sailed a 41' Formosa Ketch along the east coast of the U.S., and lived "on the hook" in the Bahama Islands off and on for almost two years. I have sailed the Atlantic and Pacific coast of Mexico, two of the Great Lakes, much of the Caribbean and the Adriatic Sea between Italy and the Czech Republic. But as beautiful as some places are, I still prefer our country's scenic and meandering waterways when compared to others that I have known. And because of my varied experience as a waterman I was honored by Governor Balalies to become Central Virginia's first Maritime Commander in the newly organized Virginia State Guard, and I was also given the rank of Lt. Colonel.Ship docking at times can involve a lot of down time while waiting for weather, paperwork, pilots to arrive or any number of reasons. And so during some of these lay ups I would write short stories or poems or even an occasional novella, but I had never seriously considered publishing until recently when I was introduced to Smashwords. One of the manuscripts that I will soon be uploading is entitled (Chosen River) and it is about the wonderful James River and many of the actual people who have been a part of it. But I also write in several different genres, both fiction and non-fiction. I have written a series of children's stories (The Legend of the Butterfly Angels) will be the first in the series to be online. I refer to it as historical fantasy fiction because so much of it is true. But I have just finished writing two non-fiction books as well, one an autobiography, the other about a trial that took place more than a quarter of a century ago .And currently I am writing a non-fiction saga about an ill fated boat trip in which I was involved that stretched from Virginia to the Great Lakes. I have in the works several more books about living aboard houseboats or sailboats and the wonderful life that in my opinion, really is one of those "best kept secrets", that is, if you know how to make the most of it. And with a lifetime of piloting commercial vessels, ten years living aboard a sailboat, and eleven years on a houseboat that I personally built, I think that I am very well qualified to help those who have a hankerin' to leave the terra firma way of life for that of a "fish", and in the process help them to save a lot of money, time, and trouble.Over the last few years I have rebuilt and re-furbished a 50' Chris Craft houseboat and in August, 2015 it went into service in the Richmond, Virgina area as a "tiny house" on the river through Airbnb.com, Homeaway.com, and BandB.com. And because I decided to do this, I have been blessed to meet some of the most wonderful and interesting people from many different parts of the world. From my early beginnings as a small town boy who really did have dirt floors in my home, I have been blessed to have established friendships with some of my recent guests, and they fit perfectly into my life long list of friends that included the "drunks" who hung around the docks, a President of Mexico, and many, many others on just about every level of society throughout the world. Mine has been a life filled with both elation and tragedy, but some how I have managed to survive it all. And because I did survive, I find it necessary to share those years with my readers in the hope that it will be at times entertaining, but also useful.

Book preview

The Legend of the Butterfly Angels

Legend Series, Book 1

By

Ron Blaha

The Legend of the Butterfly Angels

Legend Series, Book 1

By

Ron Blaha

Copyright 2003, 2017 © by Ron Blaha

Captain Rivers

Smashwords Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. Please do not participate in or encourage the piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Notes

Chapter 1

One day not so terribly long ago, Chloe Caterpillar began to awaken from where she had spent the night sleeping on her favorite mulberry leaf.

Whoa, she yelled while grabbing a twig to steady herself.

Next time I’d better open both of my sleepy peepers before I stretch and yawn, she thought.

The day had begun as one of those beautiful spring mornings; the kind that makes you feel all good inside, and Chloe had awakened very hungry.

So once she had smoothed her furry coat, Chloe crawled out as fast as her tiny legs could go, right to the very edge of a big old limb. Out there she instinctively knew some yummy green leaves would be waiting for her to feast on. And besides that, the morning sun would warm her long slinky body that had been chilled by the early dawn air.

Good morning Chloe. Mason Monkey called out while dangling by one of his outstretched arms from a low hanging vine.

Sleeping late again? he asked. Old Mr. Blue Feathers and Squeaky Squirrel were out here a while ago. They were asking about you, and said they have missed you and so have I.

You have? Chloe asked, while trying to hide an obvious look of surprise. How could you guys miss an ugly little caterpillar like me? I thought no one ever noticed or gave a hoot one way or another whether I was out here or not, she said.

What! Mason Monkey exclaimed. Why would you say a thing like that Chloe?