I once was a caterpillar with little or no self respect. My days were consumed by getting the the drink or drug. I thought I was doomed to a fate worse than death, to be enslaved by my addiction. But then through a series of events, I had a moment of clarity and with the help of my Higher Power, the 12 steps of recovery and those who had travelled the path before me, we made a cocoon. Then the miracle of change occured. I emerged a butterfly, free at last from addiction. I had been transformed.

When you see a butterfly without a wing, what is the first thing it does? In most cases, it will try to fly again. It will never give up until its dying breath. When a caterpillar enters its cocoon it knows it will become a butterfly, but people may think that it will die unless they are educated on the species. Once it emerges, it is no longer the small, helpless caterpillar, but now a beautiful, fierce butterfly. Seeing them emerge gives such hope that one day, you too can break free and become the person God wants you to become.