The Frog & Butterfly

Sharing the good, the bad, and everything in between.

Author: Cindy Ortiz

  • The Butterfly

    My sister, my beautiful butterfly, left this world on January 30, 2016.

    Long before she became my butterfly, she was simply my sister. Seeing her struggle so much, I would often tell her to be like a butterfly—to spread her wings, fly free, and leave her worries behind. I wanted so badly for her to see the beauty and strength that I saw in her. Little did I know she was carrying far more than she ever let on.

    She was full of love, laughter, kindness, and a heart that cared deeply for others. Yet she also faced struggles and pain that many people never saw.

    She fought battles for most of her life until the weight of them became too much to bear, and she died by suicide.

    Her story is not defined by the way it ended, but by the life she lived, the love she shared, and the impact she had on those who knew her.

    For a long time, I carried the pain of not being able to save her. Over the years, I have come to understand one of life’s hardest lessons: no matter how much we love someone, we cannot walk their path for them. We can support them, encourage them, and stand beside them, but ultimately, their journey is their own.

    I find comfort in believing that she reincarnated into a butterfly—finally at peace and no longer weighed down by the pain she had carried for so long. 

    Now, whenever I see a butterfly, I think of her and smile. 

    To me, she will always be my beautiful butterfly.

    Thank you for being here.

    With love,

    — Cindy ❤️ 

  • The Frog

    When I lived in California, I had been laid off from my job, was struggling financially, and had no idea what I was going to do next. Finding a job at that time was difficult, to say the least.

    So I started writing.

    I wanted to write things that made me feel good and put a little positivity out into the world. I created a blog called Leap Like a Frog. Since I had always loved frogs, the name felt fitting.

    To me, frogs represent faith.

    They don’t sit around wondering if they should leap. They don’t analyze their past leaps or spend time talking about them with their frog friends. They simply leap. They know they need to get from one place to another, so they take the leap and figure out the next step when they get there.

    One leap at a time.

    My sister, who was always one of my biggest supporters, branded me “the frog.” After all, I was the one who had taken a huge leap of faith and moved to California in a blink of an eye.  

    As the years went on, the struggles came and went, but I held on to the analogy of the frog. Whenever I felt stuck, uncertain, or unsure which direction to go, I reminded myself to do what frogs do.

    Looking back, I realize my sister didn’t just call me “the frog.”, she reminded me who I was whenever I forgot. 

    Take the leap.

    With Love,

    — Cindy ❤️ 

  • The Frog & Butterfly

    One of the things I love most about the frog and the butterfly is that neither became what they are overnight.

    Many people know that a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly, but frogs go through an amazing transformation too. A tadpole begins life in the water with a tail and gills before gradually becoming a frog. Neither creature changes overnight. Transformation takes time, and both remind us that growth and change are a natural part of life.

    The same is true for us.

    We often want immediate results. We want to lose the weight, quit an addiction, get through the struggle, heal faster, rebuild a relationship, or change our lives. But growth and change rarely work that way.

    The most meaningful and long-lasting change happens little by little. One choice. One lesson. One setback. One step forward.

    Looking back, the most important and difficult changes in my own life didn’t happen overnight. They happened through patience, persistence, motivation (all of which I once had very little of), and a willingness to keep going even when I wanted to give up.  In fact, I gave up many times along the way. 

    I have spent much of my life learning, making mistakes, falling, getting back up, stumbling, and finding my way. I have experienced difficult challenges, self-doubt, unbearable loss, depression, addiction, rock bottom, and many moments when I wondered what could possibly come next.  As difficult as it was, some of my greatest lessons, growth, and new beginnings came from the very struggles I thought would break me. 

    The frog and the butterfly remind me that becoming who we’re meant to be is a process—one that takes time and should not be rushed.

    And sometimes, the most important growth is happening long before anyone can see it.

    Thank you for being here. 

    With Love,

    — Cindy ❤️