In Which Hope Is Rewarded: Hello, Franklin!

I was sitting in the bedroom reading a book when my husband came running in from outside. "FRANKLIN might be back!" he said, excitedly. And that's all I needed to hear. I grabbed my camera and ran for the front door.

I thumped down the front steps and ran to the milkweed plants, and THERE HE WAS! It was FRANKLIN! Franklin is the little monarch caterpillar who went missing earlier in the week, and as you may remember, I feared the worst.

But it was definitely him! He was looking a bit bigger and shinier. Maybe he went somewhere to molt or something. And he was munching away like a champ. I was so happy, I stood there and took a dozen pictures of him. HOORAY for Franklin! The prodigal son returns!

I've been having what you might call "a rough patch" lately, but it is surprising how little it takes to restore my hope. On this day you can see what that one little thing was: a small monarch caterpillar with yellow and black stripes!

May you live long and prosper!

The soundtrack is a song I fell in love with from the Thelma & Louise film soundtrack: Toni Childs, with House of Hope. May we all live there, in the house of hope.