Fly Away, Sweet Boy

Today, fellow World Mom blogger, Amy suffered the terrible experience of holding her 8 month old son, nicknamed Captain Snuggles, as he left this world. My heart breaks for her because I clearly remember how it felt to hold my Elijah as he passed away. I have no words for Amy, there is simply nothing to say that would even begin to comfort her.

For those who would like to extend condolences, she blogs at http://transplantedx3.wordpress.com and also at www.worldmomsblog.com. (Sorry, I still don’t know how to put links in my post).

About ten years ago, a friend emailed to me the following story. Today, I post this for Amy and Captain Snuggles.

Waterbugs and Dragonflies
By Doris Stickney, Oligrim Press, Cleveland, Ohio

Down below the surface of a quiet pond lived a colony of water bugs. They were a happy colony, living far away from the sun. For many months they were very busy, scurrying over the soft mud on the bottom of the pond. They did not notice that every once in a while one of their colony seemed to lose interest in going about with its friends. Clinging to the stem of a pond lily, it gradually moved out of sight and was seen no more.

“Look!” said one of the water bugs to another. “One of our colony is climbing up the lily stalk. Where do you suppose she is going?”

Up, up, up, she went slowly. Even as they watched, the water bug disappeared from sight. Her friends waited and waited but she didn’t return.

“That’s funny!” said one water bug to another.

“Wasn’t she happy here?” she asked another water bug. “Where do you suppose she went?”

No one had an answer. They were greatly puzzled. Finally one of the water bugs, a leader in the colony, gathered his friends together.

“I have an idea. The next one of us who climbs up the lily stalk must promise to come back and tell us where he or she went and why.”

“We promise,” they all said.

One spring day, not long after, the very water bug who had suggested the plan found himself climbing up the lily stalk. Up, up, up, he went. Before he knew what was happening, he had broken through the surface of the water and fallen onto the broad green lily pad above. Weary from his journey, he slept.

When he awoke, he looked about with surprise. He couldn’t believe what he saw. A startling change had come to his old body. His movement revealed four silver wings and a long tail. Even as he struggled, he felt an impulse to move his wings. The warmth of the sun soon dried the moisture from his new body. He moved his wings again and suddenly found himself above the water.

He had become a dragonfly. Swooping and dipping in great curves, he flew through the air. He felt exhilarated in the new atmosphere. By and by, the new dragonfly lighted happily on a lily pad to rest. Then it was that he chanced to look below to the bottom of the pond.

Why, he was right above his dear friends, the water bugs! There they were scurrying about, just as he had been doing some time before. Then the dragonfly remembered the promise: “The next one of us who climbs up the lily stalk must promise to come back and tell us where he or she went and why.” Without thinking, the dragonfly darted down.

Suddenly he hit the surface of the water and bounced away. Now that he was a dragonfly, he could no longer go into the water.

“I can’t return!” he said in dismay. “I tried, but I can’t keep my promise. Even if I could go back, not one of my friends the water bugs would know me in my new body. I guess I’ll just have to wait until they become dragonflies too. Then they’ll understand what happened to me and where I went.”

And the dragonfly flew off happily into its wonderful world of sun and air.