I was trying to show a butterfly (a Monarch butterfly, actually) just coming out of its chrysalis, its wings still wrinkled and wet. But what does this have to do with our topic? Well, the Japanese words say Okage-sama-de, which is a common response we make when someone asks after our health or expresses gladness for our good fortune. We often use the term simply as a polite, all-purpose, "Thank You."Kage means shadow or shade. And what the whole phrase literally means is "I owe it to your honorable shadow (or the shadow of God or various un-specified people) that things are well with me." I like this phrase a lot, and I think about its original meaning every time I use it. Because I mean it. The good things in my life, from start to finish-- they are all okage-sama-de.
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