Birth of a Butterfly

When we woke yesterday morning we were so VERY excited to see that we were going to have a butterfly emerge at some point during the day.

And then there was a wee bit of a tragedy that occurred. In an attempt to move the tank to a more observable location, the lid {which was not tightly on} came off the tank and the entire thing dropped on the counter. We all watched as the chrysalis broke and the main part of it fell to the bottom of the tank.

That would be about the time that the sobbing broke out. Tears rolled down the kids faces and I'm sure our neighbors wondered what could have caused such distress in our house.

I honestly wasn't quite sure what to do. Amid all the crying, I gently picked it up, set it on one of the leaves in the tank and told the kids it was time to pray. Because really ~ last I checked, we have a God who cares about the littlest details in our life and their isn't a thing that escapes His attention.

The girls set up camp around the tank and less than an hour later the thin exterior of the chrysalis began to crack and we went into 'help' mode.

Our little butterfly slowly emerged and we helped her find a place to hang and stretch out, except one of her wings wouldn't release from the chrysalis, so eventually I had to help out a little bit. Here are a few pictures of the experience.

After five hours, the smaller of the right wing was still curled up and the larger was almost normal. When we were sure that her wings were dry, the kids and I took her outside to set her free. I wasn't completely sure what to expect {and didn't think she would fly or even survive}.

More than anything today, God reminded me that He is in the little things, cares about every little detail, and if He cares enough for a little butterfly ~ imagine how much more He cares about the details of my life!

Because crumpled wings and all, that little girl flew away!

***This butterfly experience has been at the forefront of my mind a LOT and it's been such an encouragement to me. I'm hoping to share some more of the thoughts that are swirling around in my head soon!! ***

Be sure to visit Rachel Anne for some Company Girl Coffee too!