Butterfly, Butterfly, Fly Away

      I spent quite a bit of time, trying to select a birthday gift for my 12-year old granddaughter.
Jubiliantly, I came upon a gift that seemed perfect-- a butterfly kit. The kit included a butterfly house, with live catepillars, to raise Monarch butterflies. It seemed like a perfect gift for Barbara, who was motivated to help endangered species, such as butterflies and loved animals. So, I ordered the kit, but worried, because there was a warning, that the butterfly house might be out-of-stock until June and the birthday was in May.
      Much to my surprise, the whole kit, including butterfly house, arrived 1 month early! I
waited expectantly for Barbara to visit, so we could set up the kit with the caterpillars. However, Barbara was not able to visit and was not interested in the kit.
      Somewhat deflated, I determined that these caterpillars would be raised. The caterpillars had arrived and they were not waiting for anyone's birthday to grow. They had already made coccoons, which dangled from the ceilings of their containers. So, I pinned the cloth, containing cocoons, to the side of the butterfly house and waited.
      Within a week or two, the cocoons began to hatch and at the end, there were 9 beautiful Monarch butterflies and one unfortunate coccoon that did not fully hatch. I was not able to help it,
and the unhatched butterfly lived, along with the other butterflies, that could fly.
      Within a few days, I released three of the butterflies, as instructions had dictated, as the Monarch butterflies were supposed to make a long migration to Mexico and needed full strength to make such a long trip and then lay their eggs.
      Over the course of the next weeks, I enjoyed the butterflies, and added sugar water and fruit daily for them to sip from, as well as flowers. We added a small plant in the butterfly house and even ordered a milkweed plant, which is supposed to be the only place where Monarch butterflies will lay their eggs.
      When granddaughter, Becky, who is 6 years old, was visiting, we tried to release another butterfly. This one did not seem too interested in flying off, instead landing on a flower in our flower pot and then my finger. Because the butterfly was content to perch on my finger and showed no interest in flying away, I worried that it might be caught by the many birds, and I placed the butterfly back in the butterfly house.
      Over the course of a month, most of the butterflies passed away, since their life span is only 5 or 6 weeks. When there was one left, I immediately released it and it flew jubilantly across the yard. The next several days, I missed my colorful, cheerful fluttery friends. I put away the butterfly kit and supplies and remarked to myself, "We never see any butterflies around here."
      Suddenly in the house, I was shocked to see a Monarch butterfly perched, outside, on the window screen. It was inches from where the butterfly house had been the day before, before it was put away. For 5 minutes I talked to the butterfly and it sat, without moving on the screen. Then I attempted to open the screen, in case it wanted to come in the house. It was only then, that the butterfly flew away.
      And then, today, I was weeding the garden, and suddenly a Monarch butter fluttered by. I had never seen one in the yard before. Although the butterflies did not lay any eggs in the butterfly house, maybe they did lay some somewhere nearby.

      And so it is in life, when we must give up what we have and trust the Heavenly Father, who
keeps all things in His care. Although it is no longer under our control, God can multiply blessings,

in ways we cannot imagine.