THE STRUGGLE OF A BUTTERFLY
Cynthia L. Wingo
Ohio Christian University
November 11, 2014

THE STRUGGLE OF A BUTTERFLY
Growing up I was raised by my grandparents. I lived with them until the age of 14 when my grandmother passed away. I’m going to take a small trip down memory lane, and enlighten people about the struggle of a butterfly. In June of 2005, my grandmother became seriously ill; you name it, diabetes, kidney failure, and neuropathy all at once. My grandmother at the time was only 52 years old, too young to deal with these illnesses. At this point in my life, I was approaching my freshman year of high school, and I was helping my grandfather take care of my grandmother full time.
The school year started with some bumps, but I held honor roll for the first quarter and half of the second quarter. As my grandmother’s health progressively got worse, so did my grades. I missed 42 days of school during the first semester, and about half way through the school year I wanted to drop out of school. Around December, my grandmother’s health declined drastically, almost near death, but she kept a great spirit. She spent Christmas through her death date in hospice with the loss of both of her kidneys functioning. She was a firm believer in Christ and stressed (even on her death bed) that I attend the annual Winter Youth Convention for our church on January 7, 2006.
During that time I heard so many teachings, but one stood out to me. The preacher spoke about being prepared for a change, in which he referenced the change a caterpillar goes through to become a strong butterfly. In order for the butterfly to be strong it had to fight its way out of the cocoon. That night I felt a calm in the midst of my storm, and was baptized in the name of Jesus. Time went by, and I started going to church more and more resulting in an increase in faith during this tribulation. On January 26, 2006, my grandmother passed away and went home to be with the King, that day my life changed forever.
All that I knew and believed in at such a young