Christian Photographers Community
Spiritually Speaking => Manna For The Soul => Topic started by: Jacqueline on April 21, 2017, 03:58:15 PM
The Butterfly story
In a green meadow filled with Milkweed and flowers there lived a colony of caterpillars. They were a happy colony, living a quiet life in the cool shade. For many months they were very busy, scurrying around and munching on the soft Milkweed leaves.
They did notice that every once in a while one of the colony seemed to lose interest in crawling around with its friends. It would go off alone and crawl high up in the trees. It gradually moved out of sight and was seen no more.
"Look!" said one of the caterpillars to another, "one of our colony is climbing up to the tops of the trees. Where do you think he is going?" Up, up and up it slowly went...even as they watched, the caterpillar disappeared from sight. Its friends waited and waited but it didn't return.
"That's funny!" said one caterpillar to another. "Wasn't he happy here?" asked another. "Where do you suppose he went ?" wondered a third. No one had an answer. They were greatly puzzled.
Finally one of the caterpillars gathered its friends together. "I have an idea. The next one of us who climbs to the tops of the trees must promise to come back and tell us where he or she went and why." "We promise..." they all said solemnly.
One spring day not long after the caterpillar who had suggested the plan found himself climbing high up into the trees. Up up and up he went, higher and higher into the trees. Before he knew what was happening he had broken through the canopy of leaves into the warm sunlight and fell into a deep sleep.
When he awoke he looked about in surprise. He couldn't believe what he saw. A startling change had come over his old body. He now had beautiful wings!
Even as he struggled he felt an impulse to move his wings. The warmth of the sun soon dried the moisture from his new body. He moved his wings again and suddenly found himself flying into the blue sky.
He had become a butterfly. Swooping and dipping in great curves he flew through the air. He felt exhilarated in the new atmosphere.
By and by the new butterfly landed on a leaf to rest. Then it was that he chanced to look below to the bottom of the meadow. Why, he was right above his old friends the caterpillars! There they were, crawling around and munching on Milkweed, just as he had been doing before.
Then the butterfly remembered his promise. Without thinking the butterfly darted down. He landed on a flower and looked into the grass. Now that he was a butterfly he could no longer go back.
"I can't return!" he said in dismay. "At least I tried, but I can't keep my promise. Even if I could go back, not one of the caterpillars would know me in my new body. I guess I'll just have to wait until they become butterflies too. Then they'll understand what has happened to me and where I went."
And the butterfly winged off happily into its new world of sun and air.
Dear God, please remember those who have left the meadow we live in...and remember us who are still here.
http://www.penzancecatholicchurch.org/bereavement/