One bright summer morning Ronnie the robin was doing the usual things that all robins do. He had recently flown north from his winter home deep down south and was cheerfully bobbing along on the grass looking for his favorite breakfast of earthworms. How he loved those succulent delights! You see, Ronnie really was the early bird and he desperately wanted his worm!
Ronnie always prided himself on being the first bird up and on the grass every morning. From the first time he left the nest all on his own, Ronnie was an early riser. The sun would find Ronnie chirping loudly at its first hint on the horizon and before any other of his nest mates and friends had even stirred, there was Ronnie, gleefully bouncing along the yards and expanses of his hometown suburb. What a glorious life he had!
Then, suddenly, on that clear and remarkable summer’s morning, Ronnie’s life changed forever. As he was preparing to lunge for his breakfast treat of choice, he hopped quickly and looked to his right. There, on the sidewalk, slowing, silently, slithering, almost gliding along, was a creature he had never seen before during his short 14 months on the planet. There, in all his glory, was a magnificent creature, Earl the caterpillar, who most certainly was not an ordinary worm. Earl looked directly at Ronnie and asked “Do you know where I could find a leaf to eat? I am so hungry and I have not been able to locate one all morning.” Ronnie was stunned, cocked his head just a bit to the left and replied, “I think I saw one over there and quickly, half flying, half walking, almost jumping and leaping in surprise, Ronnie grabbed the leaf in his beak and placed it squarely in front of Earl. “Thank you, kind robin, I am most grateful.” Earl replied. “My name is Earl, what is yours?” A most confused Ronnie the robin replied, chirping, “My name is Ronnie, and I am pleased to assist you.” “I am most grateful, dear robin, replied Earl. Can we be friends?”
Ronnie had never before been friends with any creature that was not already a robin. He knew a few other birds of course, mostly crows and blue jays, who, he had to admit, were not always willing to be a friend, or even an acquaintance, at that. Ronnie had eaten countless worms, but this was not an ordinary worm, although he did resemble them, in some fashion. Ronnie replied, “I would be happy to become your friend, Earl, but just what are you?” asked Ronnie with skepticism. “Why, I am a caterpillar. We crawl around all day long, looking for food, shelter and a place to rest.” “What do you do, my friend?” Ronnie answered, “I am a robin. I eat worms, fly around in the sky and search for breakfast on the grass of this tiny suburb. I sleep in that tree right over there.” Ronnie could not point since he had no fingers, but he could flap his wings and as he did that he cocked his head to the left to indicate a large maple tree back by the fence. It was a glorious tree indeed. Earl was impressed and noted the location of that tree for future reference, of course.
As the summer wore on, Earl and Ronnie became the best of friends. They would spend their days doing things that most robins and caterpillars have done for centuries. They would scrounge for food, Ronnie bobbing along the backyard while Earle crawled silently along behind him. occasionally, Earl would fly a short way, to the expansive yard at the end of the street. That home had a copse of red maples and Ronnie would locate a wayward leaf, place it in his beak and return to the backyard to place it directly in the path of Earl. Earl would smile, thank Ronnie, and chomp on his favorite treat….that red maple leaf.
In turn, Earl would inform Ronnie of the best locations for his morning worm breakfasts. Earl was expert at finding these delectable treats, since he spent his entire life on the warm earth that was his home. While this relationship was a bit odd, it did have benefits for each of them and they treasured every day of that summer they would never forget. Then, one day, as the nights became longer and the sunshine faded more rapidly every evening, Earl was gone.
Ronnie searched everywhere for his friend; he searched the entire yard, the neighboring yards, up and down the street and in the backyard where the red maples grew. But there was no Earl. “Where could he be?” wondered Ronnie? He asked all his robin friends, even the blue jays and crows had not seen Earl. Earl had vanished without notice.
As summer became fall and the leaves slowly yielded their greens for the marvelous colors of autumn, Ronnie reluctantly gave up his search. He began to fly in ever-increasing circles around the suburb, trying to discover his long-lost buddy before he headed south again for the winter. Earl, however, could not be found. Ronnie longed for the days where he could fly several yards away to locate a new and more delicious leaf for his friend. He fondly recalled the moments when he would return that leaf to the ground near Earl. Earl would always say, “Thank you Ronnie, you a truly special friend. I could never, in a lifetime go so far, so fast, to get such a tasty treat. How I wish I could fly like you.” You can travel so far, you see so much more than I do, you glide so majestically up in the air. How I envy you!”
Ronnie would always reply that he was so glad to help such a unique and special creature as Earl. He would tell him he was his best friend and that Earl had made him fat because he always knew where the best worms burrowed and hid from the many robins that called that suburb their home. Ronnie missed Earl so much, but, as the fall deepened and the days and nights became colder, Ronnie was forced to end his search for Earl and he flew south with his friends and families to spend the winter alone. It was a very sad migration.
The winter passed, as it always did, and as the first hints of spring revealed themselves, Ronnie again flew north. His trip this year was more rapid than most and he was the first to arrive at his summer home. He flew to his tree-home, the maple, near where he first met Ronnie. His memories of that glorious summer returned, and while he was melancholy, he was also just a bit happy. He would always have the memories of his dear friend Earl to sooth him on those first cold days in his summer home and he vividly recalled the joy that Earl always displayed when he saw that red maple leaf in his path. And then, when the summer heat was just beginning to reach its peak, Ronnie noticed something very different on the bark of his maple tree home.
A strange, sack-like round-type object was stuck to the tree and it was moving. In fact, this strange object was not only moving, a creature was starting to emerge from within the sack. As Ronnie watched, a monarch butterfly struggled to exit the object and slowly, with great effort, it finally emerged and paused on the bark, seemingly to catch its breath. Ronnie gazed down at the creature, so foreign, yet at the same time, so familiar. The exhausted butterfly raised its head and with great effort, opened its wings for the first time. As it lifted its head, it saw Ronnie and in an instant, without a word being spoken, they both knew. It was Earl! Earl had become a butterfly!
Imagine the joy that ensued for both Earl and Ronnie. They talked for hours and Earl explained how he had spent the final days of last autumn spinning his cocoon and then entering it. Ronnie described his search and his fear that he had lost Earl forever. Great joy and relief were expressed by both of them and the reunion was welcomed with tears of joy from both of them. And then, as if on cue, they both left the tree and flew into the sky. Ronnie, with the practiced skills of a creature who knew the air as well as he knew the ground. Earl, with the unsteady path of a creature making his maiden voyage. But, with a little advice from Ronnie, Earl was now a creature of the air, no longer tethered to the ground.
Earl saw the entire backyard for the very first time. He quickly fluttered to his treasured red maple copse in the expansive backyard he had only dreamed of reaching when he was only a caterpillar. It did not seem so distant now that he had wings. With Ronnie, Earl explored the entire suburb, taking his time, yet covering the entire village in less than 30 minutes. As a caterpillar, this would have taken several lifetimes to accomplish. As a butterfly, the entire trip was finished and Earl was not even tired. How wonderful it was to have wings!
You see, Earl now knew how much he was missing when his entire life had been spent on the ground. Ronnie knew what was all around Earl, but he could never explain that to his friend, because Earl’s entire perspective was that little plot of land where he had been born. Now, with his old life behind him and his former body changed into this new and glorious one, Earl discovered what Ronnie had known all along. There is much more out there than we can imagine if only we could see it from a different perspective.
Wouldn’t it be something special if we had a friend like Ronnie who could tell us what was around the next bend and bring us information and gifts from afar? Wouldn’t it be glorious if someone could keep us ahead of problems, and inform us about our future?What would we do if only we could know what was there ahead of us? Wouldn’t we have an advantage if there was someone looking out for us? And what would our joy be if one day we could all join our friends and really understand what we had been missing?
Earl understands all of that now and he is together with Ronnie in the sky. They spend their days flying effortlessly to locales Earl could never have imagined when he was just a caterpillar, foraging for food on the ground. Ronnie and Earl will always be together, but when you think about it, they were always together, even when Earl’s entire world was that tiny backyard in the suburb. Earl did not know it then, but his future was assured long before he ever met Ronnie. Ronnie simply showed him the way and in the long run, they both experienced the joy that awaits us all. They are together forever now, and we, too, can join them…… If only we believe.