Hello Son,
Today is Thursday. It's a public holiday over here. Thaipusam.
We left the house at 8:15am in the morning to go to your garden.
We arrived at the site about 8:30am.
Your garden looked neat and still quite clean, the everlasting flowers were all still in tact, except for a few stalks of roses that were bend over probably due rain or wind.
Just as your mother was about to brush aside the fallen leaves from the site, she spotted a caterpillar crawling on the headstone of the tomb that faced the flower bed of your garden.
See where Aunty Carol and Justine are sitting - Now see the tomb behind them -
That's where the caterpillar was (on the middle stone slab) - the space between Aunty C and Jus.
It was a familiar orange-black stripe caterpillar.
Like the one which visited your garden before - 2 months ago. You remember the caterpillar that made an entrance on us while we were at your garden on your 10th month in November 2010?
It couldn't be the same one, could it?
Dad said, of course not. It's probably the same species though.
Anyway, Mom ignored the caterpillar and continue tidying up the site. It wasn't like the caterpillar was within the boundaries of YOUR garden ... it was on somebody else's tomb. If You had sent that caterpillar, it should be at YOUR site, right???
Right ... Your mother heard herself answering.
So anyway, picture the scenario ...
Grandma was tidying the flowers at Grandpa's garden bed. Aunty Carol and Justine were planting yellow roses on yours. Aunty Hayley was decorating the side of the site with purple flowers (from previous months). Mom was clearing the autumn leaves. Dad at that time was burning mosquito coils and positioning them on all the 4 corners of the site.
Shortly after, Dad exclaimed,
"Hey, there's another caterpillar here."
Mom turned to look at Dad. He was bending over, and snapping a photo of the creepy crawlie that was now on your garden slab (near the pink flowers).
At the point of writing this entry, Mom checked the time of the photo taken - 8:50am.
So soon after we arrived ...
Hmmm ...
A minute ago, the caterpillar was on the other person's headstone. Mom checked the cold stone. It had disappeared and was no longer on the slab of the other tomb or anywhere near. We surely did not notice any furry thingy crawling across your site to the pink flowers.
Dad said, "It must be another caterpillar ..."
Dad spotted a caterpillar on the slab near the first (top corner) bunch of flowers.
As Dad was taking the photo, the caterpillar apparently entertained Dad with a lil performance.
Watch this ...
Here's our furry friend crawling along the ledge by the
pink flowers heading north.
It stops by the first ( top corner) bunch of flowers.
Woah, the caterpillar is trying to stand up!
Oh My, the caterpillar is now standing in an upright position.
The tail then ledges on to a nearby leaf.
It pushes itself up from the ground, reaches and clutches
the petal of the flower in the above
before heaving itself up on to the rose bud.
Dad was totally amazed ... witnessing first-hand how the lil caterpillar climbed from the stone slab to the flower without any kind of solid foundation for support.
The rest of us did not quite pay much attention to the caterpillar. We were busy with our chores. :D It was only after viewing the photos at home at night that Mom felt the familiar ZZZAPPPP that told her, You must have sent the caterpillar to Dad ...
How often does one get to witness the wonders of nature in this way? Even people who are experts in nature discovery would have to set their zoom-cameras or videos ready and way in advance in the hope of catching something worthwhile.
Dad was at the right place, at the right time, at the right moment.
Maybe an angel whispered to him to be at the right place, at the right time, at the right moment. Imagine Dad happened to be holding the camera at the time. That lil caterpillar act happened quickly and was over in a span of just a few seconds ...
Yet, Dad captured and witnessed it all.
Dad was totally overwhelmed at the garden. The way he expressed how the lil caterpillar p-u-s-h-e-d itself up from ground zero to c-l-i-m-b UP THE AIR to the rose bud, an almost impossible situation, reminds Mom of the song CLIMB EVERY MOUNTAIN, where Mother Abbess sang to Maria in The Sound of Music.
Here's a newer version of the song by Nikki from Holland :
Holland Idol Contestant Nikki
Climb every mountain,
Search high and low,
Follow every by-way,
Every path you know.
Climb every mountain,
Ford every stream,
Follow every rainbow,
'Till you find your dream.
A dream that will need,
All the love you can give,
Every day of your life
For as long as you live.
Climb every mountain,
Ford every stream,
Follow every rainbow,
Till you find your dream
Search high and low,
Follow every by-way,
Every path you know.
Climb every mountain,
Ford every stream,
Follow every rainbow,
'Till you find your dream.
A dream that will need,
All the love you can give,
Every day of your life
For as long as you live.
Climb every mountain,
Ford every stream,
Follow every rainbow,
Till you find your dream
The caterpillar that visited today, crawling on the edge along the pink flowers.
What an inspirational song-message ...
Climb every mountain.
Despite any solid foundation - it would appear we might sometimes have to ledge on to a nearby "leaf" before reaching the required destination and grabbing the goal in our hands. :D
Chuckle ...
How's that for interpretation? :D
Dad, You can do it Dad ...
Mom hears You saying. :D
Did You?
The caterpillar that visited your garden, 2 months ago in November 2010.
(continue on Call 125)
