If Butterflies Could Talk

Yellow Milkweed... a favorite of the Monarch Butterfly

A friend, that will go by the name G.W., recently adopted a butterfly.

Or perhaps it was the butterfly that adopted my friend.

A Monarch Butterfly.

The image above is part of the plant this particular butterfly had hung its chrysalis.

My friend brought their new pet to my attention.

I was all too excited to share my nerdy research and everything I had learned about this particular butterfly (this article).

Where some people dismiss one insect as any other, I sometimes pause to consider.

This butterfly had come out of its chrysalis, but one of its wings seemed to not have fully developed.

One edge was folded.

So when it would try to fly, it was labored and couldn't get far.

My friend took an interest in the butterfly, especially since its chrysalis was outside and beneath their bedroom window on that particular milkweed plant.

A plant that, of all places, had sprouted between the house's exterior wall and the concrete floor.

From a space of less than half an inch, out has sprouted a sprawling milkweed.

My friend had restrained the gardeners from removing the plant.

My friend knew that butterflies would likely visit.

It was to their surprise a caterpillar had been born onto this plant.

It was for their joy a butterfly had sprouted from a chrysalis on this plant.

It was for their comfort this butterfly lingered for a week due to the wing folding.

If only to spend a bit of time with my friend, on this I ponder.

For six days my friend would come home from work and look for their new pet.

The butterfly seemed to not mind the fuss or the time spent on my friend's hand.

A few days ago, the butterfly was nowhere to be found.

We had previously noticed the fold had begun to straighten out.

Perhaps that unfolding finished and the butterfly took flight to continue its journey.

Today, I wanted to take a closer look... thinking maybe I could find the butterfly.

It was not there.

This was when I took a closer look at the plant and noticed its unlikely rooting.

So I took the picture you see included in this article.

Today when I was talking with my friend, some things came to mind and sailed across my heart.

I had a somewhat challenging day similar to their long and exhaustive day.

I began to imagine when asking: what if butterflies could talk?

What if also caterpillars could talk?

Would the caterpillar believe the butterfly's testimony about their life?

If the butterfly would consider the caterpillar; being seemingly defenseless, in danger to all kinds of predators, slow, unattractive, and stuck on a plant.

I thought, what if the butterfly began to inform the caterpillar that it is only a matter of time until they too will become a beautiful butterfly.

That in due time, if they survive and overcome the trials of being a caterpillar, that one day they will be able to fly away!

Would the caterpillar believe the butterfly?

Would the caterpillar think the butterfly was lying, or vainly trying to say nice things but all false?

I thought how the butterfly would feel in being as honest and truthful as possible.

They have lived the experience.

Yet when looking at the two of them, the two look so different.

On its face, the idea of such a transformation sounds impossible.

To entertain such a thought seems ridiculous.

Yet this is a reality.

My eyes began to tear-up, as did my friend's eyes.

We both knew exactly what was being conveyed, in a way that speaks softly about very hard realities.

For some of us, there may be a single point in time we went from being a caterpillar, to a chrysalis for a short time, and then to a butterfly.

For some of us, this is an ongoing process over several aspects of our lives.

I'm having my own transformation of sorts, but in a very different way from my friend, yet the same analogy speaks to our hearts in very distinct and real ways.

I hope you can look to the Monarch... and to the butterfly with that name, and consider its life, struggles, and eventual glory.

For such things have been gifted to us, speaking to our hearts in ways miraculous.

As miraculous as it must be for a crawling caterpillar to one day take to the sky.

The butterfly.