In Karri Kindergarten this week we've been hearing a story to help with our understanding of the death of dear Sol.  Our loving thoughts are with all of those who are missing him.  Here it is;

The Butterfly

With tired wings an old butterfly once fluttered over a field.  It made it's way towards a green bush and laid a tiny egg under a leaf and crawled away.

The egg was left in the care of Mother Earth.  During the day the sun warmed it from above; at night the earth warmed it from below.  The leaf protected it from the rain, and so it was well cared for.  The glow of life of the old butterfly had gone out, but in it's egg lived a spark.

Already after only a few days there was a gentle movement under the delicate skin.  A sunbeam played around the green leaf of the plant, calling, "Come out, come out."  There was a pulling and stretching in the egg, the skin tore, and out came a tiny yellow caterpillar, covered with little dots and with skin as smooth as silk.

The little creature crawled towards a green leaf, which then became it's garden, house and food.  The edge of the leaf was especially good to eat and the tiny caterpillar began to gnaw out little corners.  After a few days almost all this leaf was gone, and the sunbeam said, "it's time to find your way into the wide, green world."

So the caterpillar began it's journey, crawling from bush to bush, from leaf to leaf.  As it crawled it munched, and as it munched it grew.  Soon the tiny caterpillar had grown into a very large caterpillar.

By this time summer was coming to an end and the autumn winds were blowing across the fields and through the bushes.  The sunlight seemed to say, "Find a quiet place to rest."

The caterpillar crawled down between some rocks into a dark and quiet space.  Mother Earth  wrapped it in her warm arms, and the caterpillar fell into a deep sleep.  While it slept, through the long winter, delicate elves wove a special gown for it.  With their mysterious fingers they wove the sparkle of the stars and the glow of the rainbow into the cloak.

Spring came, and brought some sunny days.  The warmth of the sun reached deep into the earth.  While flowers were opening to the light above ground, a butterfly was waking up below the ground.  The caterpillar had died, but in it's place a butterfly was climbing up through a crack in the rocks, climbing up towards the light.  It could hear the flower song and it could feel the warmth of the spring sunbeams.

It opened its beautiful new wings and flew up high.

From "Therapeutic Storytelling-101 Healing Stories for Children" by Susan Perrow.

Warm wishes,

Denise