Wing Wing’s Story
We thought about homeschooling our children but were always tentative about whether or not we could actually make it happen. Well, there is nothing quite like covid to give us a kick in the pants to just try it. We started off the year with an exciting activity that my husband and I have not done since we were in elementary school: we cared for a monarch. From caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly, the kids (and mom and dad) checked on Milky every day. One night her chrysalis turned black and the next morning she emerged. It didn’t even occur to me until halfway through her re-birth day the significance of that date. She spread her wings for the first time on August 31st, a day that we should be celebrating my brother Joe’s birthday but instead we are still processing the grief of his passing 7 years ago.
This film is a tribute to my brother and the loved ones we’ve lost in our family. Joe was the last in our lineage. Although the Felton name will no longer be passed on I will not let it be forgotten. I took a picture of a plate he signed at our wedding and created the “Felton” graphics from his handwriting. He included the railroad tracks because he was a road kid who hopped trains and hitched rides to travel the country with his dog. I soaked in every detail of this butterfly’s beauty, remembering what a gentle and caring soul my brother was and knowing that he is now flying free too.
Now he flies with the butterflies.
