Jim had been serving in the army since the beginning of the war. Day in and day out, the fighting continued. Jim grew weary of the battle and found himself sickened by the bloodshed and despair.

One day, Jim and his troop were digging foxholes. They expected an avalanche of enemy artillery that night and needed the protection. As Jim climbed into his little trench in the dirt, he thought to himself, “My life is so miserable!”

No sooner did the sun begin to set then, as predicted, the sky lit up with explosives. Jim sat in his foxhole, despondent.

Then, out of nowhere, Jim noticed the prettiest thing he had seen in months. Pretty colors—green, blue, red—flickering around his foxhole. It was a butterfly, lit up by the glow of shells exploding nearby. In that moment, Jim forgot his misery and became transfixed on that butterfly. A smile of joy and wonder came over his face as he stared at this beautiful creature, so out of place in this middle of all the death, destruction, and ugliness.

Suddenly, it occurred to him, “If I could just grab hold of that butterfly, I could carry that beauty around with me. I’d have something to comfort me when life gets especially miserable.”

Jim carefully laid out a plan. He knew exactly where the butterfly would have to land for him to make his move safely.