• Welcome
    • About
    • Contact Us
    • Need a Friend?
    • Credo
    • The Seven Principles of The Compassionate Friends
    • Parent Package
    • Facebook
    • Pamphlets and Links
      • TCF Canada – Pamphlets
      • CHEO/TCF Brochure
      • Links
    • TCF Canada – National Newsletters
    • The Butterfly Symbol
    • Donations
  • Monthly Sharing Circles
  • blog
    • blog Archives
  • Events
    • Butterfly Release
    • The Butterfly Garden
    • Thank you Andy and Eileen
    • Events Calendar
    • The Worldwide Candle Lighting Celebration
  • Library
  • Remembering Our Children

The Compassionate Friends

Supporting Family When A Child Dies – Ottawa, Ontario

The Butterfly Symbol

Butterfly painting by Louise Bérubé

Butterfly - painted by Louise Bérubé

A Symbol of Hope, A Symbol of New Life

The butterfly lays a tiny dewdrop of an egg on a juicy milkweed leaf. Inside the egg is her baby. When the baby hatches, however, she is not a beautiful butterfly like her mother. She is a caterpillar, who eats and chews on the milkweed leaf for two weeks. The caterpillar’s skin doesn’t grow with her, so she has to take it off. She spins a little thread, clings to it, puffs air under her skin until it splits. She stretches and twists, until she emerges dressed in a new and larger skin. She eats, grows, and changes her skin three times.

Then she hides herself in a dark, cool place and spins a little button, hooking herself there. Once again she crawls from her old skin but this time she takes off her caterpillar feet, head and horns. Underneath is a cocoon, hanging by a black thread. She hangs for days in stillness; no longer a caterpillar, but a chrysalis, preparing her secret. Then one day a head can be seen – a foot comes out. She struggles and struggles. She must pump something from her body into her wings to strengthen them. After a long time she emerges, fanning her wings slowly to dry them. Then she rests for hours. This beautiful butterfly has never flown. She has done nothing but a “caterpillar crawl”. Finally she soars into the air as though she has been flying forever.

We might be tempted to help release the butterfly from her cocoon. It is human nature to want to assist; but if we do, she will fall to the ground and die. By the struggle to free herself, she strengthens her wings enough to survive and fly.

Grief is certainly like this process. We feel ugly, we change, we hide, we sometimes spin a cocoon around ourselves, and we struggle. Like the butterfly, we need to free ourselves. It takes a long time. There is a difference, however, others may help us as we struggle. We need not do it all alone as the butterfly does, but the ultimate responsibility is ours. We have to grieve, hurt, cry, be angry, and struggle to free ourselves from the cocoon of grief. And one day we do emerge – a beautiful butterfly, a stronger person, a more compassionate person, a more understanding person.

by Eunice Brown
 

 

Butterfly

Share this:

  • Share
  • Print
  • Email
  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

  • Upcoming TCF Ottawa Online Sharing Circle

    Please join us for our next Zoom Meeting:

    When: Thursday, February 2nd 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (US and Canada) (always the first Thursday of the month)

    Join Zoom Meeting
    https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88442331294?pwd=N09vbXhIVjRGNXV5R1dpa0RQV3Q4UT09

    Meeting ID: 884 4233 1294
    Passcode: 638946

    One tap mobile
    +17789072071,,88442331294#,,,,*638946# Canada
    +17806660144,,88442331294#,,,,*638946# Canada

    Dial by your location
    +1 778 907 2071 Canada
    +1 780 666 0144 Canada
    +1 204 272 7920 Canada
    +1 438 809 7799 Canada
    +1 587 328 1099 Canada
    +1 647 374 4685 Canada
    +1 647 558 0588 Canada

    Find your local number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kcq4L1injP


  • Upcoming TCF Ottawa In-person Sharing Circle

    Please join us for the next In-person Sharing Circle:

    When: Tuesday, February 21st - 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. (always the third Tuesday of the month)

    Where: We meet at Tubman’s Funeral Home, 3440 Richmond Road, Nepean.

    Please Note: The entrance is located around the back, down the hill to the right.

    Hope to see you there.

  • The Compassionate Friends of Canada Newsletter

    The latest TCF National Newsletter is available through the following link:

    Click to access tcf-nat-nltr-fall-2022-.pdf

Website Powered by WordPress.com.

WPThemes.


  • Follow Following
    • The Compassionate Friends
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • The Compassionate Friends
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Copy shortlink
    • Report this content
    • View post in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: