I wanted to bring him home. But I couldn't.

This is yet another sequel about our family's fifth (or to be precise, first creature) member, Mr. Caterpillar🐛

You can find the story of Mr. Caterpillar here👇

"Mom!"

The other day, my second son came home from the children's center and told me happily.

"There was a Mr. Caterpillar at the children's center!"

Hearing that, both my eldest son and I instinctively looked at each other.

"You should have brought him home with you😊"

Then my eldest son added,

"Maybe he was reincarnated because he wanted to see you."

He said with a smile.

I was sure that,

"Of course I want to bring him home!"

I thought that was the answer I would get.

But my second son thought for a moment, then said quietly,

"It's okay."

"I might not be able to take good care of him again..."

"I don't want him to die."

The moment I heard those words,

my heart tightened.

And he continued,

I played with it a little.

I thought it might be hungry, so I put it on a leaf.

My second son's face looked a little sad as he said that. 😢

Deep down, I'm sure he was thinking,

I want to take it home.

I think he had that feeling, too.

But,

he already knows the sadness of having to say goodbye again.

So this time,

Stay healthy at the children's center.

I'm sure that's the feeling he had as he let it go...

That day,

my second son was crying as he made a grave for the little caterpillar.

That experience clearly left a mark on his little heart.

The preciousness of life.

The difficulty of nurturing life.

The sadness of losing someone dear.

All of these things,

were taught to us by the caterpillar, who was the fifth member (or pet) of our family.

We only spent a few days together.

And yet,

even now, you still come up in our family conversations.

"Mr. Caterpillar"

Just hearing that name,

reminds me of that day.

I'm not good with bugs,

so at first,

"Absolutely not!!"

is what I thought.

But it's different now.

Thank you for coming to our home that day.

Thank you for teaching my second son kindness.

Thank you for teaching us the importance of life.

And,

thank you for giving our family an unforgettable memory.

I hope that my children,

even as they grow up,

"We had Mr. Caterpillar back then, didn't we?"

will smile and remember that.

I am sure that I, too,

will never forget.

Even though you were a small life,

you are still a part of this family today.🐛🌿