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Inspirational Stories
Stories Contributed by Our Visitors:
November 1998 to August 1999
(Newest Items at Top of List)
Click HERE to give us your story
- Ken Elliott, Toronto, ON, CANADA
- My friend is assistant curator at the Niagara Butterfly Conservatory.
My son Ryan, who is 10, and I went to visit there earlier this summer. Margaret
explained all about the exhibits and told us all kinds of things about butterflies. I
was particularly struck by her comment that if someone just cracked open and released
the butterfly out of its cocoon it would be unable to fly. It would not really be able to
survive. It was the struggle of getting out of the cocoon that gave it the strength to survive
and fly.
After that I walked around the exhibit area in awe and drove home with Ryan At the
time I was having real independence struggle with Ryan's older sister who was almost 20.
Things were tense and difficult. I knew when she went back to university quite a distance
from home I was going to be a new empty nester. Ryan lives with his Mom most
of the time. That story and the butterfly exhibit really helped me let go
and move on. I realized I cannot do everything or fix everything - she
has to 'struggle out her cocoon'. As she drove away with her room mate
I silently said 'work to break out of your cocoon and learn to fly my
beautiful rainbow coloured butterfly. The butterflies taught me how to let go.
- Amber, Mansfield, TX, USA
- A few months ago my grandfather woke up complaining of
chest pains, so my grandmother rushed him to the hospital.
Waiting to hear the results was long, and dreadful, when
the doctor came to tell us ""A Heart Attack"" we knew this
wasn't going to be easy. After many tests were done the
conclusion came that he would have to have five way open-
heart surgery. That night I left the hospital, I knew
this was not good, not only was he diabetic, but his
kidneys were trying to shut down, how would he ever
handle a surgery so major? The family sat down with him
and told him it was his choice. After talking with the
doctors he had made up his mind to go through with it.
The day before his surgery I was driving home, as I
stopped in the driveway I prayed to God. ""Just please
be with him, keep him safe, and make him healthy, I asked,
please don't take him away from me."" For he is the
greatest man in my life. I was still to be given away at
my wedding, by him, how could I go on with out this man? As
I sat there with my windows rolled down I looked over in
my passenger seat and saw a beautiful butterfly sitting
there moving it's tiny wings. I reached over and put my
finger out, as the butterfly touched my hand I started to
cry even harder, it was then that I knew God heard me and
that was his way of letting me know everything was going
to be okay. That night the doctors came in and said
""we have good news"" after looking deeper into his test
results, they felt five way surgery would not be
necessary, they claimed that three stints would fix the
damage. As we all sat there looking around in total shock
we knew we had just been blessed. Pa-Pa made it through
just fine with the procedure, and was able to come home
the next day. I now know that the butterfly I met was my
Pa-Pa's angel.
- Emmett Worick, Orange, VA, USA
- Yesterday this small butterfly insisted on alighting on
my clothes, sometimes as if attacking and retreating. It
finally flew on my finger and sat there probing with its
proboscis. I headed for the house to get my camcorder
and discovered that the battery was dead! I took the
butterfly outside and released it, went back and installed
a fresh battery. I came back outside, and suddenly the
butterfly was back on my clothes. I gently scooped it up
on my hand and began a series of beautiful footage with
my camera. Back to the house I went with my friend still
perched on my finger. I loaded the digital still camera
with a floppy disc singlehandedly while the butterfly
appeared to enjoy the inside of my house. Back outside I
went for more shots of this magnificent creature that
seemed to enjoy its new surroundings. I got wings-up
shots, and wings-extended shots that are just gorgeous.
Even though the Internet quality of one such shot is not
that great, it's still interesting to see. This was a
beautiful fifteen-minute experience I'll never forget.
www.imageryinwood.com/worick/btrf1.gif
- Regina, El Paso, AR, USA
- I have been seeing them every where lately. Reminders of what I encountered a few weeks ago.
I was swimming with my husband at his parents' pool and a small purple/white butterfly landed on
my bathing suit. I called my husband over to look at it before it flew away. He teased me because
the butterfly wouldn't leave me. I would move my hand close to it and it would move to my shoulder,
I pulled on my shoulder strap and it clung on. I dipped lower into the water and it would fly to my
husband's arm. For 20 minutes we 'played' with the butterfly. I went to get my mother-in-law to
show her our new friend that wouldn't leave. It flew to her for a few minutes, but once again,
flew back to me. She said, 'you know, that's a special spirit.'
Finally, after 40 minutes with the butterfly, it flew away. I was 9 weeks pregnant at the time
with our first, and 2 days later, I miscarried. I feel like this little butterfly was my baby,
saying 'I love you, wish I could stay, but I have to leave you now.'
Everytime I see a butterfly now, I think of all the hope for the future I have and beauty in the
world. I know that although this child wasn't meant to be, My husband and I still feel like we
were able to 'play' with our child for at least a little while.
- Frosty, Phoenix, AZ, USA
- A few years ago, I had to have my beautiful cat (Precious) put to sleep. My son took
her in for me and told me it would be easier if I didn't go with. It was heartbreaking.
Let me say here that I love butterflies. I used to crochet them and Precious used to carry off
any she found to her treasure trove under the bed. I had to keep the Butterfly magnets high on
the fridge so she couldn't get to them (didn't always work). Anyway as soon as my Son left with her
I went out in the yard and just stood thinking and grieving, when a large black and yellow butterfly
flew up to me, hovered in front of me for a while while I held my breath. It then flew around me a
couple of times and flew off. I stood in awe for a while and then the tears started as I realized
my beloved Precious was out of pain and this was her way of letting me know she was now on the
Rainbow Bridge. I have no doubt that she is joyfully chasing butterflies now.
- Deborah, Richmond, VA, USA
- My brother died of cancer. When his body was lowered into the ground, a beautiful butterfly
flew around the casket and the grave. Then it left and flew into the woods. Everyone noticed
it and felt that my brother was letting us know that his spirit was now free. We all felt the
presence of the lord.
- NRG, Gold Coast, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
- I saw an angel butterfly fall from the sky.
It made me feel angry and I started to cry.
I went home and told mum, and she said,
'darling your dinner is getting cold'.
I told my Father and he fell asleep.
thanks for listening
I'm crying again
Angel lover.
- Gloria Martel, Columbus, OH, USA
- Our daughter Cathy Lou passed away suddenly just short of 14 years of age. We were
all very sad as we returned to my mothers house after the funeral. All my husband and I
could think about was just a sign that she was happy in her glorious new home. As we were
all gathered on my mothers porch, a small white butterfly landed on my daughter Mary's shoulder,
then on my husband's and as I held out my hand, it landed there also. It lingered only a
few minutes, repeated all the things it had just done, then flew off into the sky. Now,
everytime we see a butterfly or especially if it lands on us, we feel this is our daughter
saying 'I am happy in my new home and can't wait till you come to live here too.'
- Diana, Charlotte NC, USA
- This is a true story about transformation. I have been helped with two people in my life and
I feel that without these two people that I would not be able to write this today. I'll just use
their first names and it is Matthew, who helped me for 1 1/2 years, then there is Cathy who has
just started to help me regain myself..
I've had anxiety, depression, and dependency issues that i was working on with these people, and
finally I have figured out what it is I have to do in order to have a good life and a happy one.
I know it's difficult to make these decisions, however I am doing just that. Before I had problems
with making decisions about my life and events in my life but now I have Matthew to thank for this
because he has shown me how to make decisions without him in my life. I feel I have been transformed.
I can spread my wings out and am in a crystal ball. The ball is my boundary, nothing will hurt me ever
again. The butterfly makes me feel comfortable with any stages in my life I know I can reach any level
I want to now. I have fully grown and I know the mistakes I've made in the past and in the present
I will not ever make again. And this I have Matthew to thank for...May God bless him....
- James Dilts, Van Nuys, CA, USA
- It was the early part of March, 1999 while working at my home, I got a phone call from the
ex-wife of one of my best friends. She said he had died that morning of a massive heart attack.
I took it very badly because I had been going through some tough times with my father and his illness.
It felt like this was going to be one of those years when the loss of loved ones around me were going
to take its toll. You see my father had several strokes in the previous months and had blood clots
on the brain. The doctors told my brothers and I that it was just a matter of time. I had flown from
Los Angeles to Sacramento several times, since my father entered the hospital, to be at his bedside
in Chico. Time is something my father no longer had.
I was having a great deal of difficulty dealing with the loss of an old friend and the
illness of my father. I spent a lot of time thinking about my father and found myself writing
my thoughts down and praying.
I guess I should mention that I make Butterflies. Large hand crafted, hand painted Butterflies.
I have always been interested in Butterflies since I was a child of 5 years old. I majored in
art in high school and collage but wound up being a part of the corporate business world for many
years. I finally began doing what I wanted to do, be creative and make people smile and make
something beautiful to look at. I took 53 years to get there, but I finally did.
Easter was very near and I had to do something to get my
thoughts clear from the depression I was feeling. I elected to do something for my church.
I decided to make
small 3 inch Butterflies in purple with the words 'He has risen' in smaller letters on the
wings. They were to be given to every family after the Easter service. That's when I began to
look at some of the notes I had written down while dealing with my deceased friend and sick father.
I decided to write a blessing. A blessing about what? It had to tie into Easter, but how? Then it struck
me, why not write a Butterfly Blessing. I had been told in my youth that the Butterfly was the
sign of ascension. Now I had two projects to keep me very busy.
The time past quickly, too quickly. It was the Monday before Easter Sunday. The
Pastor from my church had called after reading the Butterfly Blessing I had written.
She was just short of tears while asking me if I would read this special Blessing at the
end of her Easter Service. I tried to decline and asked if she would read it.
'Not a chance she said'. 'God made you write this Blessing for a reason'. I was at a loss
for words. So I accepted her challenge. Not knowing what was to come.
Later that afternoon I received another phone call. 'Jim', my youngest brother said. 'Dad's Gone'.
'He passed an hour ago'. Now my spirit drops to the floor along with me. I must go to my mother and
younger brothers in northern California to say Good-bye to my father. Now I knew why I wrote
the 'Butterfly Blessing'.
I was unable to read the blessing in church that Sunday but each and every family from
our church received a beautiful Purple Butterfly and a copy of this 'Butterfly Blessing'
I had written----- for my father. (Click HERE for copy)
- Colleen Armstrong, Groton, NY, USA
- My sister, Cheryl, was a missionary in Indonesia. Along
with her husband and five children, they served a three year
term and then came home for a year furlough before returning
for another three year term. My sister was very happy to
be going back to Indonesia. They arrived at the beginning
of July 1996. On the morning of July 16, after only being
in the country for a little over a week, the car my sister
and three of her women friends were riding in, was hit by
a public bus. My sister, only 41 years old, and another woman, were killed
instantly. The other two women in the car suffered critical
injuries and had to be flown to Australia for medical
attention. Later, we found out that the driver of the
public bus had been drinking. She is buried in Indonesia;
however, we held a memorial service here in New York. I
seem to have a tendency to write about the people I love
when they die, and as I tried to think of what to write
about my sister, a butterfly came to me and I sat down
to write. This is what I wrote and what I read at her
service:
Butterflies are one of the most beautiful things in the
world. They flutter their brightly colored wings so
quietly you hardly know they are there. But when you do
notice them, their vivid colors and their beauty strike
you with a feeling of wonder and peace.
My sister Cheryl was like a butterfly. She fluttered
about so quietly, landed on our shoulder for awhile, and
shared her beauty. And, now sadly, she has flown away.
Cheryl's life, in a way, mirrored that of a butterfly. She
went through the typical life stages wrapped in the
chrysalis of her family's love. A love that guided her
and supported her, and most of all, showed her the power
of love.
Cheryl learned those lessons well. She was always there
for her family - returning the love she was given many
times over. Like a butterfly, she had a calm influence
over everyone she met. She did this so subtly that you
didn't know it until sometime later - after the butterfly
flew away.
You could say that her ""metamorphosis"" occurred when she
became a woman in Christ. When she committed herself to
the missions, she did this with the strongest faith I
have ever seen. But again, the wings were fluttering so
softly she never had to force you to listen, you just knew
by the peaceful look on her face when she spoke about the
bible and their mission work, that she truly believed and
that she was not afraid to fly.
She was a wonderful daughter, sister, wife, mother and
aunt. She was always the quiet one - always fluttering
about making sure everyone's needs were taken care of,
always putting everyone else first. She flew around to
so many places - touching down on so many people to share
the word of God, and all the time sharing her own beauty
and leaving us with that feeling of wonder and peace.
They say that to make a wish come true, the Native
Americans would whisper it to a butterfly, which would
carry it to the Great Spirit in Heaven. And there the
wish would be granted. Cheryl carried with her so many wishes to the Great
Spirit in Heaven where her beautiful butterfly wings
have now turned into angel wings.
So the next time you witness the freedom and beauty of a
butterfly, make a wish and realize that you may have just
been touched by an angel named Cheryl.
Now, whenever I am outside, there is a butterfly around
me, and I know that it is Cheryl telling me that she is
happy with God and not to grieve for her, but to celebrate
her life in the beauty and the colors of nature.
- Suzanne, North Vancouver, BC, CANADA
- A Tribute to my Grandmama:
As a child, growing up in California, I developed a love and respect for butterflies and moths...
(and pretty much all living things)...but, at that time, I was very focused on
butterflies, moths, and especially caterpillars. My father used to tell me they were
all ""pests"" and I should not even bother with them. I ignored his advice and continued to
be fascinated. I was a child, 6-8 years at that time. I would find what I called ""fuzzy brown
caterpillars"". Finally, my mother bought me an insect keeper, the kind you can't get any more. I
would find one of these caterpillars, catch it, then give it food (especially lettuce), always
making sure it would like it's new home. Then, I would wait patiently. First, for it to form
a cocoon. After that, I would wait for what seemed like forever to a child - I waited to
see the transformation.
My grandmama was such a wonderful lady. She always had the time to appreciate the
beautiful things in life. When I first told her that my caterpillar was going to
go into hiding, then, be re-born as a butterfly or a moth...she wondered what I was
talking about. My grandmama had a very limited English vocabulary...her first language was French.
She learned English on her own. She was amazed one year, to watch a new life come into the world.
She had little or no knowledge of butterflies etc...only what she would learn from me. She was
amazed that, in her words, ""I could make butterflies"". Year after year, when my caterpillars
turned into butterflies or moths...my grandmama's eyes would sparkle like a child's eyes...and she
truly was amazed. She could not understand how or why these fuzzy creatures could transform. She
didn't care really care to know how or why the caterpillars could transform itself into a completely
new body. My grandmama just appreciated their beauty and believed it was a miracle. She
always used to say that I was special because I could make butterflies. So, we left it at
that, and just accepted the miracle of transformation. Ever since, we shared a special bond
because she believed in me.
My grandmama also knew that I loved anything living...and
encouraged me to learn more and to have fun at the same time. One year, my grandmama was
visiting and I inevitably had a caterpillar waiting to be re-born. It's an incredible
feeling to be able to set free, something as special as a butterfly. At least, that's how we
looked at it. One year, she arrived just in time to see the beautiful monarch butterfly emerge
from it's cocoon. She was, at first, nervous to handle something so tiny and frail...but,
she did anyway. There she was, standing in the back yard, with a monarch in the palm of her
hand. At that time, my grandmama's eyes were those of a child. My grandmama held the
butterfly as it prepared to fly away. She believed this was one of the most beautiful
things in life, and, she was able to participate.
I would always send her butterfly pictures
so she could enjoy looking at the different types of butterflies and moths. In addition, I
would always send her birthday cards and other greeting cards - all with butterflies. The
last birthday card I sent to her was a beautiful story about butterflies. This particular
card had a perforated edge that one could use as a bookmark for reading. It had a wonderful
saying (when I find it, I would love to share it). Anyhow, I knew my grandmama was ill, and I
was terrified of losing her. I removed the bookmark and kept it in a special place. As it
turned out, that was the last card I would ever send her. I cried for such a long time, (even
now, she's special in my heart)... who would encourage me now? Who would be as amazed as my
grandmama and I? All I knew then was that she loved me and that nobody could replace her.
I wondered how I would get through life. I was a child and just did not understand death.
I decided one day, to continue to ""make butterflies"" (grandmama's words) long after she went
to heaven. Then, I grew up, became an adult, and somewhere along the way, I stopped ""making
butterflies"". It just was never going to be the same without her...
Two years ago, this week, I have been in Canada with my family. There were many tragic events
that happened during those years and I was very depressed and sadness had filled my heart. My
mom talks about grandmama everyday and she still misses her so much it hurts. Last year,
I found a fuzzy caterpillar! With the enthusiasm of a
child, I gently picked him up and made a home for my new caterpillar. Even though I am an
adult, I was overwhelmed with sadness that she could not be here to experience the wonder of
transformation and re-birth.
Yet, I continued to watch, finally, my caterpillar had started
to settle in. It would soon be inside it's cocoon which it built in a dried up leaf. I waited,
and waited, and waited...my mom, even this week, kept telling me that it was dead. I immediately
became that little child with so much faith and told her that there was no way it was dead. I
believed the caterpillar would emerge as a butterfly or a moth, and I prepared myself for a long
wait. And...I waited a long time!
Today, I went to do my daily check. I was really looking carefully, and then noticed
that something was moving. I watched, for a long time, as it came out of it's cocoon - completely
transformed. I now have the beautiful creature - a white moth with a colorful body underneath.
I felt like the same little girl discovering how amazing life is. Despite hearing ""it's dead""
too many times, here was this new life form. My mom and dad came home and were wondering why I
was so happy. I said ""I told you it wasn't dead..."", to my mom. So many times mom had suggested
that I throw it away...I didn't. I kept my faith.
Right now, the moth is still preparing to
fly...I hope to release it tonight so that he has a chance to live, before being spotted by a
bird. I am amazed. Some people would most likely think that I was ""not all there"" so to
speak...but, I don't care. It's a miracle in my eyes and it brought back so many memories
of my grandmama. I was crying, disappointed that grandmama couldn't be here, with me, to
set it free...I know she is with me, watching from heaven...and probably saying ""You are
such a special little girl who makes butterflies"". I believe that her kind spirit is
still with me. The ring she gave me before she died, is sparkling like never before.
That's when I can sense she's with me.
I went outside for a few minutes, and I found a single fuzzy caterpillar. So...I am beginning
the process all over again...
Life is short and it really is important to appreciate all life has to offer...to me...finding
another caterpillar on the same day the first one emerged, is a sign that my grandmama is with
me...I just wish I could place the moth in the palm of her hand and let it fly away. Who knows?
Maybe it will fly to heaven...
Never lose faith in what you believe. If I had, I wouldn't have been able to witness the
re-birth of this little creature...
I guess that's it for now. I am hoping to find out what species it is, yet, that's not
important. It is important that I helped something live, grow, change, and then set free!!!
I will never forget my grandmama...this story is for her.
- Selena Simon
- Victorious Wings, a Father's Day Remembrance.
- Zita Matthies, Christchurch, NEW ZEALAND
- One Sunday afternoon, I came home and the garden filled
with Monarch butterflies. I watched them for a few
moments, filled with delight as they flitted about. It was
then that I discovered one that had only 1-1/2 wings
and could not fly far. ""Where did you come from""? I asked,
but it made no reply. I picked it up off the grass and
placed it on a crackerjack, where it immediately started
to feed.
This ritual became a daily thing, several times
throughout the day, moving him from flower to flower.
Sometimes it would take me a little while to find him, and
I would discover he had flown a few metres, so I always
had to be careful where I trod in case he was on the
ground. Once I went to move him and couldn't find him at
all, but when I came back a few hours later, there he was!
And so again, he was put to a fresh flower,and food! You
could feel the excitement in his body as he ate! It was
such an awesome experience and a real privilege to
look after this special butterfly. Finally, with rain
impending, I decided to pick a vase of flowers and bring
him inside. Well, he disappeared again, and for 24 hours I
blamed the cat! But there he was again, and ate greedily!
What I admired the most about this special butterfly was
his strong determined will to survive against all odds.
I knew the day he was dying, and thanked him for the lesson he
taught me in life. I will never forget my special butterfly.
- Rob Rasbach, Ansonia, CT, USA
- I remember when I was a boy about 8 years old, a time
came when I was able to catch some butterflies in my
mother's garden. I was fascinated by the colors, shapes,
symmetry and patterns on their wings. They came in such
an assortment that delighted the eyes. They were like
flying flowers that existed for such a short time with
the purpose mostly for visual enjoyment so I thought.
I remember holding them and seeing the colored dust come
off onto my fingers.
I was amazed at God's creativity and a few years later I
was drawn still deeper as I considered these marvels of
creation through high power magnification. The scales
displayed tremendous architecture and detail that could
not be fully appreciated unless viewed with high power
instruments and printed as full color pictures in books
my parents bought for me. My delight turned to awe as I observed these scales that
were opaque, translucent, iridescent, transparent and
prismatic in endless design and color.
When I was 11, I found a Monarch egg on Milkweed plants
that hatched into a hungry caterpillar. He ate until
the day he spun his chrysalis. I went to camp and the
butterfly emerged so Mom let it out. I never did see
the final transformation but some time later we visited
the Butterfly store in NY. I remember Mr Glanz giving
me a cocoon. ""Take this and see what you will get"". A
few months later this huge 6"" Polyphemus Moth came out.
The whole family was amazed to see it unfold it's wings.
But then I struggled with killing it. ""Forgive me God
for killing this moth for my collection. . it will only
live a few days. . . and it will never find it's mate
around here and besides it's perfect and I can show it
and tell the story for years to come but despite our
extensive traveling across the US and Canada, I was
never able to see or catch the large beautiful Luna Moth
that I always wanted.
And so it was that I put away the things of youth as
fond memories, always remembering the splendor of God's
creation that I first saw in flowers and butterfly colors
in my mother's garden.
By the time I was 17, we had been living at our new lake
home for 5 years. We were living the life of luxury and
as a teenager, I lacked nothing. My father and I flew
together on many weekends in the company helicopter and
I was working on my student pilots license for fixed
wing.
I had toured the USA, Europe and Canada, was attending a
top private school, had a fast car, boats and all the
fine food. On August 6th, 1970 I was speeding up our 1/4
mile driveway on my dirt bike all bored and thinking ""all
this stuff and I am depressed and feel hollow inside"".
This was the last conscious thought I had. I don't
remember seeing my mother coming in down the hill and
was told I had such speed as I was unable to stop so I
hit her car. My sister rushed out of the car to wrestle
the bike away as an authoritative voice commanded her
. . . ""You must breathe for your brother"". I was
clinging to life in a coma for several days. I had
internal injuries, broken pelvis, broken left leg, head
injuries and road rash.
When it was over, it was clear
that my sister had saved my life. Three weeks later
most of the terrible pain was over and I was back home
and thankful to be alive. A new appreciation for the
Love of my family, health, food and all the other things
we take for granted swelled in my heart. As I sat on
the patio that overlooks the lake, I took in the gentle
breeze that aways carried the scent of pine and I soaked
in the warmth of the late summer sun. As I thanked God
for sparing my life, several large butterflies soared in
majestically to visit the flowers around the patio. In
my mind I was back in my mother's garden appreciating
them and looking at the colored dust that came off onto
my fingers. I thought, ""God, don't let me forget these
things that you have made that mean more than the things
man makes.""
Several years went by, the steel pin in my leg was
removed and I resumed a fully normal life, entered the
college of my choice and partied hard for the first three
years. By my Junior year I recognized that hollowness
creeping in all over again. I was headed down the wrong
path of typical college life that tried to fit in with
the rest of my peers. After one weekend of partying, I
had had enough. I remember getting down on my knees and
saying ""God, I know you are there, somewhere. I have
seen your glory in this great land and in Butterfly
colors from my youth. I need for you to show me the way
to go. What is the truth? I hate religions and
hypocrites. You have my attention, show me what's next.
While home on Easter break, I picked up my sister's
""Living Bible"" which is a easy to read version. I
remembered reading in one of my books that the butterfly
is seen as a symbol of the resurrection. I grabbed the
bookmark card and began to read it. The words pierced my
heart like an armor shell. ""All have sinned and fall
short of the Glory of God."" ""The wages of sin is death""
(separation from God) Accept God's Remedy ""I am the Way,
The Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father but
through me"" (Jesus). I accepted the Easter message
quietly and felt a tremendous burden lift off me. I was
free like the butterfly in April 1975. To remember this
time in my life, I put together 2 collections of the most
spectacular specimens I could find. Most of these remain
to this day. But the times they have been displayed have
only been few over the past 25 years, that is until last
Saturday June 5th 1999 when God spoke clearly to me by
circumstance and with scripture in my heart.
I went on a retreat with 6 other men to relax, pray and
seek the Lord in Tolland, Connecticut. We arrived Friday
night and my thoughts turned to concerns over financial
matters and God's provision and direction for my life.
I remembered the song that was sung a few months ago at
the Full Gospel Businessmen's Convention by Ronn Jones-
""His eye is on the Sparrow and I know he's watching over
me. . . "" ""Please God, let me know that you have things
in control"", I prayed.
The next day a festival was held in that small town.
The Rhododendrons were in full bloom and a crowd was
standing nearby looking at something. ""what is that?""
they said. There was a Hummingbird Moth hovering in and
around the flowers. Just then several Tiger Swallowtails
came in to join the party. I carefully grabbed one to
show a little boy who smiled with delight. ""Our God is an
awesome creator."" I said to the boy and his parents as I
let the creature fly off.
That night we finished supper and went for a walk. A
friend asked how my kids were and I replied, ""well nearly
40 years have come and gone since I was my daughter's age.
Kristen is 7 and Justin is 10. Now she is interested in
collecting butterflies and moths. Today they have all
but disappeared. She is happy to catch anything, but you
know, I never was able to catch that Luna Moth I always
wanted as a kid and I wish I could get one now for her.
The sun went down, we got back to the cabin and 2 hours
later there was something flashing in the lights outside.
""It looks like a bat"" Sal said. I ran outside to catch
with my hand a Polyphemus Moth which is the same species
that hatched from the cocoon. As I stepped back toward
the door another large moth came at me and landed on my
pant leg. I quickly picked it up, something that God
himself had ordered up just for this time in my life and
not before, a perfect Luna Moth!
""I sing because I'm happy, I sing because I'm free!, His
eye is on the Sparrow and I KNOW, He's watching over me.""
""My son,with patience and love I have formed you and
watched you grow. Your days have been ordained by me
and I have examined you to see the day of faith rising
in your heart. Know that I am the Lord who keeps you,
watches over you and shows you the way you should go.""
May God Bless all those who read this message, whether
they collect or just appreciate Butterflies and Moths.
I think that most of us can agree with God when He says
in Romans 1 that His wisdom and divine order can be seen
from that which is made so that men are without excuse.
When we behold the creation, it bears that testimony
of our loving Creator.
- Kyle, Flint, MI, USA
- Although my Monarch Caterpillar was bought from J. J. Cardinal's, it still has its normal
instinct. I used to think that a metamorphosis was boring until now. I have heard that the
Monarch Butterfly population was decreasing and that they needed humans to help breed these
small, fragile creatures. We bought it and they supplied us with some food. They said it
would take about a week to turn into a cocoon because the one I received was plump and almost
ready. I've had it a few days and it is so neat and sorta funny when it eats. One time it had a
small piece in its grasp and it was getting too small for it to handle. It started falling out of
his hands and he started tilting to catch it. The more it fell out of his grasp the more he tilted
until finally !PLOP! He fell over on his side. Now that was a sight.
- David Rasmussen, Gordonsville, TN, USA
- Last night I sat out on the porch and was taking in a couple deep
breaths of the cool night air. I listened to the tree frogs and young
bull frogs and every now and then heard the faint sound of a cricket.
They soon will be the loudest in our nature summer symphony. A
splash of night breeze dingled the wind chimes, rustled my hair and
filed my senses. I inhaled a bouquet of wild rose, poplar tree
flowers and honey suckle.
In this relaxing meditation state of mind I traveled with my senses
and concentrated on sounds, smells, and touch. I eventually started
hearing a sound that I couldn't place. It almost sounded like a faint
rain dripping through the leaves. There being almost a full moon and
a complete blanket of stars I knew it couldn't be rain drops. I
listened deeper. Then looking out through the forest in-between the
moonlight shadows I figured it out. I yelled into Sharon ""They're
coming...."" She came out to the porch asking who's coming. I told
her to close her eyes, listen and to hold out her hand. It only took a
few minutes until a familiar little green caterpillar with a black face
dropped into her lap. She jumped and then smiled.
The sound we were hearing was the millions of young caterpillars
chewing and pooing. Over the next week or so they will
start building their cocoons and by the last week in May
they will stretch their young wings and fill the hollow. Words and
pictures can't come close to describing and showing what it's like to
be among a million butterflies. You have to be here to believe it.
In the mean time if you would like to see more pictures and hear
how our farm, Butterfly Hollow got its name stop by our
website.
- Marlene Evans, Lapeer, MI, USA
- My stepfather was an entomologist and we grew up with the
most beautiful and extensive collection anyone could imagine. He had butterflies from all
over the world and received almost daily shipments from the Jesuit priests in the jungle who
collected butterflies for a living. Because of his wonderful collection, my teachers in the
elementary grades could hardly wait to have me in their classroom, because each semester, my
parents invited my teacher over for dinner and a view of the butterfly collection. I was
also proud as well as a little shy about my teacher being in our house, eating dinner and
spending the evening, looking at some of his collection. I can tell you, the class always heard
of it the nest day and how I must have beamed.
- Deborah Wilson, Richmond, VA, USA
- About a year ago I went through a metamorphosis. I actually felt God wrapping my entire
body up with silk symbolic to caterpillars when they build a cocoon. Then I emerged from the
cocoon with wings. I felt God breath on me and I heard Him say "You are now a beautiful butterfly,
one of my angels."
Also, one night I was so frightened. I couldn't sleep. I was so scared that someone was
trying to break into my house and harm me. The next morning when I opened by front door I
saw the most incredible, beautiful butterfly. It was huge. It was lime green with black spots.
I looked at it and its beauty took my breath away. I heard God say, "Fear not, I have sent my
angels to protect you."
- Amanda Dennison, Sheffield, MA, USA
- Today I was outside with my dog when I noticed a
butterfly lying in my driveway, so I went inside and got
a piece of paper to put him on and brought him inside. We
found that he was injured and gave him water and a place
to sleep. I'm not sure what kind he is but he is yellow
and black with small spots of orange and blue on the
bottom of his wings. I have always loved butterflies but
never had the experience to be this close to a real one.
- Linda Garrett-Westbrook, Nashville, TN, USA
- Just finished reading all of the stories that people have
shared about their butterfly experiences and decided to
add mine to the list.
My Mother and I had always talked about death and the
possibility of being able to communicate after one had
passed over. We agreed that whoever went first would let
the one that remained know that they were ok.
She was in the hospital for 3 weeks before she died. I was
with her day and night, only going home to bathe and
change clothes. On the morning of the day she died, she
told me that she wanted me to hold her for awhile so I
climbed on the bed and put her head on my shoulder, she
closed her eyes and after about 15 minutes I knew she was
on her way home. That night a terrible storm passed over
the hospital and as I stood by her bed I told God that
since he was in the neighborhood Mommie was ready to go
home with him. At 10:55 pm she took her last breath and I
was privileged to witness the most amazing transformation
I have ever seen in my life. As I stood and watched the
years,the pain, the misery just slip from my Mothers face.
It was truly the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.
After burying Mommie I returned home and for weeks I
would sit in my kitchen and look out the windows and
think of Mommie. To my amazement there were hundreds of
butterflies just fluttering around the windows, It was as
tho they were checking up on me. Somehow I knew they were
connected to Mommie. They were never there before and
never came again. So everytime I would see a butterfly I
would think Mommies watching me.
One year after her death I went to Georgia and invited
her friends and pastor to go out to dinner to celebrate
Mommies life,to remember her on this day. I had her
favorite flowers (stargazerliles) on the table and we all
enjoyed a great meal and shared memories of her. After we
left I went to her grave and sat for awhile talking to
her. I told her how much I loved her and how very much I
missed her and please let me know she was ok now. I left
the flowers and went to the motel.
The next morning I decided to go to the waffle house as
it was one of her favorite places to eat. As my husband
and I were eating I saw this beautiful butterfly flying
around our car, it would land on the hood then fly around
the car again. I told my husband that was Mommie, he said
you are probably right. We finished eating and went out to
the car, the butterfly was sitting on the hood, I stood and
looked at it and I said Mommie if that is you land on my
hand. To my amazement the butterfly flew to the palm of my
hand and just sat there slowly moving its wings up and
down, looking at me. I had to fight the urge to close my
hand and keep her. I knew that I had to let her fly away,
She had let me know that she is beautiful, she's free and
she can fly forever.
- Coventry, CT, USA
- This story was shared with me by a dear friend who lost 2 of her adult children as well
as her husband to cancer in the last 12 years. Before she lost her daughter, Leslie, at
the young age of 30, Leslie told her mom that if she ever came back it would be as a butterfly.
She loved to garden and was an outdoor, get your hands dirty kinda girl. Leslie left behind a
loving family. To honor her children my friend keeps small memorial gardens named for them in
her beautiful woodland lot. It had been a long time since Leslie had been gone when her nephew,
Chris was graduating from high school. The whole family was gathered at the ceremony when a
fascinating thing happened which touched the whole family. There on the stage with Christopher,
was a butterfly dancing all around him. There was no doubt in my friend's mind as to 'who' that
butterfly was, nor in anyone else who knew Leslie. One of the special touches to Leslie's garden
has been the accents of decorative butterflies! This story may or may not touch you as it has
Leslie's family and myself but I couldn't resist sharing it as it is true.
- Rick Mikula, Hazleton, PA, USA
- (On the death of his nephew) - On Friday night, my nephew
passed away. Like a true butterfly
he brought only joy and brightened the lives of everyone
that encountered
him. Butterflies can be fragile but are amazingly strong.
Despite having
many obstacles to overcome in their short lives, never once
do they
complain. They just go on, creating a more beautiful world
around them.
Neil had to experience a metamorphosis. It was confusing and
often hard to
understand but he never complained. On Friday night he
received his wings.
Released from his earthbound chamber he now soars above
us. Carried
by warm winds and love, he can fly free, happy and
painless.
- Lara S, Dallas, TX, USA
- One day about 5 years ago, I was shopping for a very special gift for a very dear friend, I
wanted the perfect gift, so I had looked for hours. Then at a bookstore, I looked and looked and I
was just leaving when I saw a book my favorite color, Lemon Yellow. On the cover was two big
Butterflies with two little caterpillars at the bottom that were reading the note on the cover. It
was so cute, I had to read it right there! The book had a big picture on every page and big letters,
it looked like a child's book, but it is really an EVERYBODY book. It took about 20 minutes to read,
and I had finally found my gift! This was the best book I could give anyone, except for the Bible of
course. I now give the book to everyone I care for, the book says it all. It's about life and hope,
hope for better things, hope for life! The name of the book is called ""Hope For The Flowers"" by
Trina Paulus. It only costs about $10.00.
so if you are a butterfly fanatic, you have to have this book, it is so inspirational!!!!
Anyway, I met my soul-mate later on and I gave him this book, and now together we love butterflies,
I am now yellow and he is Stripe. Any butterfly lovers are invited to
e-mail me at butterfly_lara@hotmail.com
- Brenda Sandhouse, Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
- I'm often lonely and unhappy. But when I have a friend (butterfly) on me or near me,
I'm happy. They are what cheer me up.
- Barbara Wilkerson, Baltimore, MD, USA
- When my mother, a good woman, my real true honest and encouraging friend died - Margaret Davis,
I was hurt so badly and grieved so long, had no one to talk to, no one at all knew my deepest pain.
On the day after her funeral, I was sitting on the porch all alone,
thinking about my mother, how I was not there because I had moved to Spartanburg South
Carolina from Baltimore. If I was home, maybe she would not have died,
why did God take her away?, why?, why?, why?, then I began to just think about the past, the
good times, the chastising times, the days I would just miss her, oh how I would miss her. And as
I began to open my mouth and speak to the air, this BIG, BEAUTIFUL, BUTTERFLY flew on the porch and
landed on the wall and listened to me as I spoke. I asked the butterfly, ""are you my mother"",
because in my last letter and poem that I wrote to my mother I used a butterfly as my watermark
graphic. And since the butterfly was on the paper, I thought mother came to sit with me.
Well I grieved for nearly 2 years, and I had to do things by myself, with no mother to tell me how,
when, or even to encourage me that I can do it. But every time I accomplished something on my own, a
butterfly would always appear, even in the night, on the bus stop and even at my daughter's school.
I had just met a man and was in his car and this large butterfly flew onto the driver side windshield
and stayed for a long time, even as we had driven to the store, it was still there, and within my
heart I knew that was my mother. Now that I am a born again Christian, many messages that I hear
being spoken by pastors, teachers, prophets, etc., is about the metamorphosis that a butterfly goes
through and how we shall change as well. Well, I thank God for the butterflies as well as people lives.
- Nancy Thornton, Lemont, IL, USA
- Several Baltimore Checkerspots had been seen along
the path but I wanted to know if the population
was sustaining itself. The only way to prove that was
to find some turtlehead, the butterfly's larval food
source. My sister Cindy and I started walking
in the wet meadow which turned to a swampy mess
and just as we were about to give up, spattered with
muck, I spotted the turtlehead! It even had a
discarded skin casing on one leaf. We jumped up
and down and lost all our footing and fell in the mud
and it was the happiest bit of fun. Later that year
Cindy's cancer came back and she died a slow and
painful death at the age of 49. But that silly joy
and muddy trek looking for Baltimore Checkerspots
with my sister will stay with me forever.
- Brad Carlson, Minden, IA, USA
- My father may have been the one who opened the door
for my interest in butterflies and moths, but it has been
my grandmother who has done more than anyone else to foster
that interest. Ever since I was in the second grade, my
grandmother and I have taken many trips afield and have
been to places like Fontanelle Forest, De Soto Bend National
Wildlife Refuge, Rocky Mountain National Park, Barr Lake,
Chatfield Dam, and Neale Woods. Every single trip has
brought us something new to see, from the Snow Geese
migrations in December to watching ebony Magdalena Alpines
nectaring on dainty pink campion flowers in late July.
Just after finishing my sophomore year in college nearly
two years ago, I went on a two-week long biology field trip
offered through Iowa State University's Study Abroad Center in
conjunction with the University of Costa Rica with about twenty
other students, living the first step of my lifelong dream to
study and farm butterflies in the tropics. Although the overall
scope of our trip to about 10 different national parks and
preserves was much larger than my interest in insects, me and
two of my fellow colleagues in Iowa State's entomology department,
Clint Pilcher and Jared Ostrem, were there with me so that we could
bring back a fine sample of what Costa Rica had to offer for Iowa
State's collection. The only thing missing during this trip was
the companionship of my grandmother, the one who had fostered my
interest and fanned the flames to make it grow. I wanted very
badly to see and then be able to take a picture of a morpho butterfly
for her, and possibly catch one.
While on layover in San Jose between a trip from Haciena Solimar
to El Estacion Biologica de La Selva, we were considering a visit to
the Alajuela butterfly farm. It was there where I hoped to get a
close-up picture of a morhpo for my grandmother, but as luck would
have it, everyone decided against visiting the butterfly farm, so I
had to hope beyond hope that I would get that picture of a morpho.
I wanted that picture so badly so that I could give a piece of my trip
to my grandmother because I had shown her pictures of morhpos in my books
before, and they were by far her favorite butterflies. That's also why
I wanted to catch her one too.
When we reached La Selva, I was anxious and apprehensive. Clint and
Jared had brought the collecting equipment we needed, but they had lost
their bait trap gear back in San Jose. Our field leader, Oscar Rocha, was
able to scrap a makeshift bait trap together, but there was still the issue
of what to use for bait. Our itinerary called for only a three day visit
in La Selva, so I knew that we would have to act quick. For the first two
days of our visit, we set out ripe and rotting bananas in our trap, and got
nothing. I was starting to get uneasy, especially since the last day in La
Selva would be almost strict research (we had a project to do and present with
a partner). The next day, I set out early to get my project notes and summary
done. Noon hit, and I was starting to get very depressed. I had seen a Morpho
peleides fly just over my head on our way to the barracks when we first arrived,
but I didn't have a net handy. And I had seen a Morpho amathonte the day before,
way below me while I was walking on a bridge. Then it hit me...how could I have
been so stupid? How could I have missed such an obvious oversight? I knew that
baiting morphos with bright blue objects was nearly twice as effective as baiting
for them, so I set out during a period of dead time just after my lunch. Two o'clock
found me on one of many of La Selva's fine nature trails deep into the forest. I had
my trusty bright blue raincoat with me, and not just for morpho attraction either! :-)
I waited for the light drizzle to subside before I finally was able to tie my coat up
in one of the trees high above. Then, I waited...and waited...and waited. 4 o'clock
found me still apprehensively waiting, and I was getting very sad and anxious. I would
have to start back in 15 minutes, because the walk back was a good 45 minutes and supper
would start in about an hour. I had to get cleaned up for supper and our presentation
just afterwards too. Then, I saw a dark sapphire flash out of the corner of my eye.
Probably a Morpho peleides limpida, the most common morhp endemic to Costa Rica I thought
to myself...
The morpho alighted with its wings spread, then hovered around the coat. I slowly lowered
the coat without disturbing the morpho's hovering pattern, getting it to within focal distance
of my camera. When I finally worked my coat down to the ground, the morpho finally perched on
it, with its wings partially spread. Perfect shot! I could get a view of the contrasting sapphire
wings and the dark brown underside with it's spectacularly huge eyespots. It was then that I realized
that what I was watching wasn't a Morpho peleides either, but rather a Morpho amathonte! I was ecstatic.
Although I had seen a Morpho amathonte just the day before, it was a rarity...the most difficult of
Costa Rica's morhpos to photograph and obtain! I snapped the shot, and then quickly netted the morpho
for my grandmother. But then, a twang of guilt came over me. I looked at the butterfly as it fluttered
helplessly in my net and saw how raw, powerful, and beautiful it was. It was so pristine and perfect...
Everytime my grandmother had seen something as beautiful and powerful as that before, and she had
a chance at catching it, she would let it go, and she instructed me to do the same thing every time. Was
that trophy that would be on her wall worth the guilt I would have by killing it when she probably would
have let it go? I weighed both sides of the argument before finally letting the big, burly, and priceless
beauty go.
Five minutes later, I saw why I had reason to be glad. Right above me, in plain sight on a bare twig
of all places, was the shed exuviae of a berry-like, green cocoon. The Morpho amathonte had just emerged
from its cocoon before our encounter. I thanked God for letting that innocent, pure, and pristine morpho
go. That butterfly had its whole life to live, and somehow, I think my grandmother knew too. I think that's
why I got the message when I did.
Meanwhile, something strange was happening back at the bait trap. When I got back, imagine my surprise
when Jared and Clint had managed to bait three morhpos! One for Jared's collection, one for Clint's, and
one for Iowa State's department. They were all peleides. Just as they were papering the morphos they caught
from the bait trap, a Morpho amathonte alighted in it! Jared was ready to lunge for it, but I said, ""Uh uh, this
one's mine."" Just before I was to eat supper and do my presentation, I netted a Morpho amathonte, and my grandmother
had peace of mind, a picture, and now, a specimen. Things couldn't have gone better!
When I got back and showed my grandmother the prize I caught her, she told me it was the best gift she had
ever gotten. She also told me that on the same day I took the picture of the Morpho amathonte, she was thinking
about me and what I would do if I had caught one for her. I told her about how I let that first one go to live
its life, and she said, after looking at how breathtakingly beautiful the picture was, that she wouldn't have had
it any other way.
The capper on this whole story is that just as we left La Selva the next morning, a Morpho amathonte guided us
as we left, hovering right next to the seat where Jared, Clint, and I were sitting. I think it was the same one that
I had let go just the day before, and that he was thanking me for letting him live on
- Mariposa, San Antonio, TX, USA
- Since I was a little girl the beauty of butterflies fascinated me. As I grew older I found out
that butterflies symbolized ""eternal life."" My father passed away when I was very young and
everytime I see a butterfly I remember that my father's memory will never die, and that someday I
too will live in a place and have eternal life.
- Michelle Garner, OK, USA
- I was driving to my Mother's grave site and I felt bad
and sad that I had no money to go buy flowers to
lay on her grave. Grave sites that looked neglected had always made me upset. My
Mom had only been buried a very short
time and I had already decided to visit her grave often
and to keep it nice and keep flowers on it. I just had to get my
Mom some flowers. She didn't have a head stone yet and I
wanted people to know that a person was buried there not
just some grass and dirt. It wasn't too long before I saw
a field of sunflowers growing thick and tall so I decided to
pull over and pick some. Mom had always loved flowers and
wildflowers were her favorite so I felt like
everything might just work out after all. I got out of my car
and I went to a cluster of sunflowers. As I started to pull on
one of the sunflowers I saw something move out of the corner of
my eye I turned my head and saw more than several Monarch
butterflies! Some fluttered just above a select few sunflowers
while the others seemed content on staying put. I was
filled with joy at the sight of them. Butterflies have
always given me joy since I was a little girl. The sight
of them brought me back to the day we had funeral services
for my Mom. After the service, people filed out into the parking lot.
As I went out side to thank everyone for coming and
invite them over to my house I
saw a little yellow butterfly fly past me and it kind of flew around me awhile
and shortly, it flew off. I smiled a little to myself thinking ""I wonder if that was
Mom somehow coming to see how I was and to tell me that she is ok now?"" Well,
with that and now this what seemed to be a ""field of butterflies"" I just
felt a calm come over me and I praised God because I just had to thank the
maker of all of it. I also lifted my head a little toward the sky and I said
out loud ""Mother I love and miss you so very much!"" and I felt like
she might have heard me. I do believe that butterflies have
some special purpose in our lives. Perhaps to heal and they certainly share their
beauty with us, but, maybe there's more to it than that
If so, I'm glad that they have shared themselves with me.
- Janie Ramsey, Garrison, TX, USA
- Our daughter Julee died on December 4, 1997 as a result of injuries sustained in a car
accident. She was 12, one week away from her 13th birthday. One day as her Dad and I were
at the cemetery visiting her as we do because we miss her so much, a butterfly lit on her
grave as we stood there. I have read about butterflies and them being there for the those
left behind. That day we were so surprised to see one and especially to light on her grave.
- Cheryl, Columbia, MO, USA
- When I had reached my sophomore year in highschool, I thought that me and the Lord had a
really good relationship. I figured that I didn't need anything to help me grow at all.
Then one of my best friend's mothers asked me to go on a retreat by the name of
Chrysalis. In my mind I did not want to go because I knew for sure that it could
not help me in anyway. But, as God works so wonderfully, I filled out the application
to go and was soon scheduled in February.
I arrived at the retreat center on a Friday, after a two hour, early morning drive.
All morning I searched for things that were wrong, and that didn't match up with the
word of God.
Chrysalis is a three day retreat where symbolically you go from a caterpillar on the
first day, die with Christ on the second day as a cocoon, and rise with Christ on the
third day as a butterfly. Wow, this weekend totally broke me and humbled me to Christ's
work. And I realized that we're always growing and changing, to better ourselves.
As a new ""butterfly"" for Christ I now help with as much of the Chrysalis retreats
that I can, and hope I can bring an ""un-needy"" soul back to their true desire, Christ.
- Robin Greaves, Durban, KwaZulu, South Africa
- I am a keen lepidopterist living in South Africa.
I work as a pilot and on certain flights I have noticed a large forest in a
very remote part of Zululand.
My wife and I took time off and attempted to drive to the forest in our Jeep.
After a whole day of hard 4X4 work we managed to reach the forest.
We were immediatly amazed to find that this great forest was unspoiled and
intact; not only was there evidense of dramatic species diversity but in all
of my travels around South Africa I have never seen such big trees.
The forest lies on top of an escarpment and well off the beaten track
and is accessible only with a 4X4 and a good measure of initiative.
The prospect of the occurence of rare butterflies is very good. We are
going to mount an expedition over the Easter weekend. We have prepared a
lot of banana bait. We are expecting to find species in the forest
that normally occur further North in Mozambique. Maybe there are as yet
undiscovered species in there.
We will post a list of what we find in this web site next week.
We are also going to pay attention to the botany and the avian fauna .
- E'tienne Easley, Nashville, TN, USA
- I wasn't interested in butterflies at all until my
spring break a couple of weeks ago. It is a long ride
from Nashville to Miami, so you could imagine how I
would daze out of the window day in and out. It wasn't
until then that I realized how beautiful these insects
were. A couple of friends and I collaborated at the
beach one Sunday evening to discuss what had been on
our minds. We were all so stressed out from midterms.
I was feeling so depressed at the beach because, my
friends and I really haven't said so much as ""Hi"" to each
other in 2 years, but they were going through a lot
and I made myself available to them. We talked and talked
and as my friend tried to explain to me how I affected her life
a butterfly landed on my shoulder. She said ""You know,
you are like a butterfly, light and delicate. You have
popped in my life and made it beautiful, you are free
and so full of life ...I was overjoyed at the thought
that I could brighten someone else's life like so
many people have brightened mine.
- Erin Nicholson, Pitt Meadows, BC, CANADA
- On March 23, 1999 Christa Marie McCarron passed away at the age of 19.
She will be remembered for her beautiful spirit, her smiles and her laughter.
Christa loved butterflies - her bedroom was a virtual monument to them.
Shortly after her death, Christa's friends gathered to mourn our loss. Toward
the end of the evening I saw something out of the corner of my eye. Although
the weather was still very cold, there was a butterfly circling over us.
I saw it land on a bookshelf, and when I walked over and put my hand out it
stepped onto my fingers. I carried it over to Christa's closest friends and
the sight of it brought tears of happiness to everyone's eyes.
I realize that this story seems contrived, and that it couldn't possibly be
real. But I swear that it's true. Perhaps I'm searching for comfort in
something that wasn't really there, but I honestly believe that Christa
was with us that night, and that that was her way of letting us know she
was alright. Whenever I see a butterfly I'll think of Christa.
- Lauren, Waldorf, MD, USA
- In August of 1993 my two year old cousin was killed by a drunk driver
that hit the van she was in on her side. She was thrown out of the van with
her car seat on and had a broken neck. She was a wonderful little girl. The
day of her funeral she had hundereds of flowers because she touched so many
hearts. My cousin and I were standing by the casket when the the priest was
talking and we looked over and saw three beautiful butterflies on her casket.
Ever since then, when ever we see a butterfly my family and I always think of
her. She truely touched our lives.
- Scottsboro, AL, USA
- My son, Andy, died in 1991. On a visit to
Gulf Shores Al one year later on his anniversary, there was
one lone Monarch flitting outside of our room and the
restaurant where we all ate Thanksgiving Dinner. I knew
Andy was with us in spirit that day and from then on. HE
is a butterfly to me.
- Tracy Freeman, Dallas, GA, USA
- Butterflies have always fascinated me as a child growing
up, mainly because I could never seem to catch one
of these beautiful creatures. A moth maybe but no butterfly. I am now a
grown woman, a wife, and a mother of two
wonderful daughters. My fascination with butterflies only intensifies as
time goes by for myself as well as my girls.
I had a very strong and close relationship with my grand-
mother. We laughed a lot, we talked a lot and we shared
a lot of wonderful memories together. We talked about everything.
I needed to talk to her one day about something that a lot of people don't
like to discuss and
that is death. It was a long conversation and a bit
in depth. We decided that whichever one of us leaves this earth first,
that we would try to somehow let the other
know that we're fine and that we're still close by. So, we
decided to send butterflies. We never
really discussed how we would send them, but just
that we would send them and a white dove. Sadly
my grandmother passed suddenly 7 months later. My world seemed shaken
for a long time and I felt like I had
lost a part of my soul. But time heals all wounds. It was
a little over a year from her passing that my daughters and I were outside.
My girls were in the pool and I happened to be sitting in a
chair reading a book called
""We Don't Die"" when this beautiful butterfly lit right on my hand while I
was holding the book. It flew off after a
few seconds, and I held my finger out mid-air and it lit on my finger.
It circled me three more times and lit on my
shoulder last. Before flying off completely my oldest
daughter held out her finger and it lit on her finger also.
I was so stunned as well as my daughters because they were the
only other people I had told about this secret I
shared with my Grandmother. I ran down to my husband's
shop and was so excited. I began telling him of this butterfly,
when he stopped me mid sentence and told me that this White Dove had been
sitting on a big canister
he had outside of his shop, just looking at him as he was
working on the car. He said it had just flown off behind
the back yard and we might be able to see it. Sure enough there it was.
It was pure white, with a little red
tag attached to its leg. It stayed a while longer and then flew off.
This was the most wonderful day that I could ever have imagined.
I never in all my years caught a butterfly, but on this day I had
one to catch me and a
white dove to confirm that this was my grandmother
saying I am o.k. and I am close. Now what's the chances of that
happening in a million years? None, except through God!
I would also
like to note that my youngest daughter was very upset that the butterfly
didn't lite on her, but the next day at the last cleaning out of
my grandmother's home before it was to be torn down, my daughter just happened
to find my grandmother's old yellow butterfly magnet that she had on her
refrigerator ever since I could remember. My daughter looked at me as
she held it in her hand and said, ""Look Mom, Grandma didn't forget about
me after all."" Isn't Life Wonderful?!!!
- Atlanta, GA, USA
- Story
Butterflies gave me something to love. They set an example for me.
They taught me that I can fly free into the air. They are a perfect
example for all people and I love them. They let me realize that I
have my own life and I can use it.
- Lexington, SC, USA
- On Oct 29,1993 I was involuntarily committed before I hurt
myself or someone else. I had lost everything to alcohol.
My home, my husband, my kids and even my faith in God.
I reached a point where I drank every day, sometimes 24
hours a day. I felt hopeless and helpless and just didn't
want to live anymore. I felt I had nothing or nobody and
felt totally worthless. As part of my rehab treatment I
was given a short story to read called ""The Brown Bottle""
and it was about a caterpillar that crawled into a bottle
and was not able to crawl out to become a butterfly and died
in that bottle. At one of our groups they went around and
asked if you could be any kind of animal or something,
what would you be and why. When I was next I said I wanted
to be a caterpillar, when they asked why I said cause when I
I got out of there I wanted to be a butterfly. After 30
days I left there to try to begin my new life without drinking.
It was not easy and I struggled a lot to stay sober.
Five years later
I am still sober and feel that just like the caterpillar
and the butterfly, I changed from crawling to flying.
Today I am free from that bottle and have a whole new
life. Everytime I see a butterfly it reminds me of those
days spent in rehab and how today I have a new life and
am free. Free of alcohol and I didn't have to die in that bottle.
- Donna LaFleur, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
- I have been fascinated by butterflies for several years now, my
childhood interest having been renewed by a friend. And in my work
as a television producer, I had even written and produced a program
for television on the subject. Many stories of the symbolism of the
butterfly had been presented to me, but this summer, I experienced
their magic for myself. My father died after a long illness, and each
of my siblings placed a rose in his casket before it was closed. I had
a beautifully preserved specimen of a Giant Swallowtail at the time, and
I decided to place this symbol of rebirth and transformation in the
casket as well.
A week later, all of my extended family gathered at my father's home
for the 4th of July. As we grilled and prepared a meal for the family,
a beautiful Giant Swallowtail came to visit the garden, and lingered for a
while. I called to my sisters to come see, that ""Dad"" was visiting us.
Sure, it could just be coincidence, that the first butterfly
I saw after my father's death happened to be a Giant Swallowtail. But
I've always had faith in serendipity, and for me, watching that
butterfly in my dad's garden was a sweet and uplifting moment
that I will remember happily.
- Carol Crowell, Hanover, PA, USA
- The morning my mother passed away the sun was rising and the
birds were singing. Two weeks after her passing I found a newspaper
article about a new born baby born in California that needed open heart
surgery to survive. Suprisingly enough his heart healed itself and
surgery was not needed. The comforting thought was he was born the
day my mother passed away. We know she gave her life so this baby
could have a chance at life.
Over the years, I have dealt with many
emotional ups and downs. Two years ago I heard Rick Mikula speak at
the local park. You see on my lowest days I would walk along the
water looking for answers. In the same park, we went nature walking
one Sunday with Rick on a butterfly watch. Since then I have had much
solitude spending time with nature. The birds and butterflies have been
my inspiration. Occasionally a butterfly or hummingbird comes and persists.
I know it is my mother and God reminding me that life is precious and
special. As my husband recently lost his job of 10 years we have decided
to farm butterflies. We feel this is God's way of allowing us to share
nature with children and the elderly. God does work in mysterious ways.
- Sunny, Lancaster, CA, USA
- Story
Butterflies have a very special meaning in our family. My mother
loved them so much that when she was in the hospital she told us that
when she passed away she would turn into a butterfly and visit each of us
her 3 daughters. Well mom passed away 2 years ago, and each of us have been
visited by butterflies. And it's funny every time someone sees one they always
say with a big smile on their face 'look there's mimi(my mom)'. She also told
us when we were young that my grandma was a butterfly too. I see them
everywhere and always think of mom.
- Portland, OR, USA
- Story
Once I saw a butterfly. I thought it was so pretty. Then it started
to twitter around on the ground. I thought it was going to die, so I
helped it lessen the pain. I stepped on it. While I was sleeping I
felt a tickling feeling on my face. I woke up to find a dead butterfly
lying by my bed. I think it wanted to thank me for putting it out of
its misery.
- Jane Schweitzer, Richland Center, WI, USA
- My husband passed away in the month of August, 1996. His life
involved conservation and the many beautiful things of nature. He was
buried in a little country cemetary surrounded by farm fields and
wildflowers. As our minister was saying the final prayer, a butterfly
circled above the casket and landed. When the minister said the
last ""Amen"", the butterfly flew up and over a cornfield. My six
children were by my side and each one saw and remarked, Dad is here
with us. Each time I see a butterfly,I say a prayer and hello to my husband
- GA, USA
- ""A True Story of Courage and Love"".............
Walking down a path through some woods in Georgia in 1977, I saw a water
puddle ahead on the path. I angled my direction to go around it on the
part of the path that wasn't covered by water and mud. As I reached the
puddle, I was suddenly attacked!
Yet I did nothing for the attack was so unpredictable and from a source so
totally unexpected. I was startled as well as unhurt, despite having been
struck four or five times already. I backed up a foot and my attacker
stopped attacking me.
Instead of attacking more, he hovered in the air on graceful butterfly wings
in front of me. Had I been hurt I wouldn't have found it amusing, but I
was unhurt, it was funny, and I was laughing. After all, I was being attacked
by a butterfly!
Having stopped laughing, I took a step forward. My attacker rushed me again.
He rammed me in the chest with his head and body, striking me over and over
again with all his might, still to no avail.
For a second time, I retreated a step while my attacker relented in his
attack. Yet again, I tried moving forward. My attacker charged me again. I
was rammed in the chest over and over again. I wasn't sure what to do, other
than to retreat a third time. After all, it's just not everyday that one is
attacked by a butterfly.
This time, though, I stepped back several paces to look the situation over.
My attacker moved back as well, to land on the ground. That's when I discovered
why my attacker was charging me only moments earlier.
He had a mate and she was dying. She was beside the puddle where he landed.
Sitting close beside her, he opened and closed his wings as if to fan her. I
could only admire the love and courage of that butterfly in his concern for
his mate. He had taken it upon himself to attack me for his mate's sake, even
though she was clearly dying and I was so large. He did so just to give her
those extra few precious moments of life, should I have been careless enough
to step on her. Now I knew why and what he was fighting for.
There was really only one option left for me. I carefully made my way
around the puddle to the other side of the path, though it was only inches
wide and extremely muddy. His courage in attacking something thousands of
times larger and heavier than himself just for his mate's safety justified it.
I couldn't do anything other than reward him by walking on the more difficult
side of the puddle. He had truly earned those moments to be with her,
undisturbed. I left them in peace for those last few moments,
cleaning the mud from my boots when I later reached my car.
Since then, I've always tried to remember the courage of that butterfly
whenever I see huge obstacles facing me. I use that butterfly's courage
as an inspiration and to remind myself that good things are worth fighting for.
- Barbara, Syracuse, NY, USA
- Since my father's death in 1979, butterflies have
become a very important symbol to me and also to my sister.
We believe that our deceased loved ones are
able to send us messages of love and concern using
these delicate creatures which stand for metamorphosis.
Dad was buried on a lovely June day. After the services,
Mom, I, Sis, grandchildren, and family members and friends
stood nearby Dad's grave which was covered with flowers.
We all were busy in conversation about Dad/Jim. Suddenly
a huge butterfly, as large as the palm of my hand, flitted
around us. The colors were black, blue & white. It landed
on the flowers & seemed to be listening. I noticed that
its colors seem to match what Dad was wearing...a
charcoal gray suit, white shirt & a medium blue tie
which exactly matched the blue on the butterfly. We
stood there in amazement over this friendly, curious butterfly.
How were we, then, to know that butterflies were to become
so prominent in our lives from that day on?
All that summer our back yard was visited by an abundance
of butterflies, mostly monarchs, with one landing on
Mom's finger much to her delight! She (and Sis & I) were sure these
butterflies were Dad's way of communicating his concern for us
and his love.
He passed on before he & Mom could enjoy their 50th anniversary together. On that day
we visited his grave - also visiting was a big monarch
who hovered nearby us .... of course it was ""Dad."" When
I was out shopping for a 50th anniversary gift I found myself
heading for a San Francisco Music Box store in a local
mall. The most perfect gift was awaiting me...a water globe
with a branch of flowers and a large black, blue, & white
butterfly resting on them. The music it played was
the theme from the film, ""Somewhere in Time.""
After a few years, Mom needed surgery for a large,
cancerous tumor in her abdomen and Kathy (Sis) and
I waited, very afraid & nervous, in her room until
the surgery was completed. The room had large windows
which overlooked a parking lot and it was up fairly
high - 8 floors up. I blinked with surprise and told
Kathy to come and look out the window. There, right
in front of our faces in the window, was a small ""colony""
of monarch butterflies flitting around, right up there
in mid-air outside of an 8th floor window. Dad had
sent the troops! His support for us and concern
for Mom came right through from the beyond. We watched
in awe and gratitude and were comforted by this merry
band of monarchs for about 20 minutes!
While Mom was battling ovarian cancer, in her last days
we talked openly about ""signs from the other side""...
she said she would also send butterflies to us. She
was very calm about facing her death, - a truly remarkable
lady.
For weeks I watched for these butterflies but it was in the early part
of April; the weather just seemed to cold for
these delicate creatures. I'd let the idea go until
Memorial Day when I brought her swan planter
to her grave. Filled with her favorite flowers,
impatiens and lobelia, I wondered if these flowers
would attract butterflies. I talked and pleaded into mid-air hoping
that Mom would somehow hear me - ""please send me a
butterfly so I know you're here!"" Good thing I
was the only one around as I'm sure others hearing me
and watching me look above would certainly think I
was a crazy person. As I slowly walked
to back to my car and got in, I took a last glance
at the very pretty swan bouquet. Lo and behold...
I noticed a yellow (Mom's favorite color) swallowtail
landing on it and seemingly liking it. In my surprise, I could only
holler out, ""Thanks, Mom! You made my day!
I realize I have been a lengthy in telling my story
but needed to tie it all in. Thanks for reading
and may you be granted many, many ""butterfly kisses""
yourselves.
- Katrin Weber, Orr's Island, ME, USA
- My sister, Nina, died in 1981 of a brain tumor. She was 12 years old.
My mother spent a lot of time with her while she was going through radiation
and doctor's visits. My sister told my mother not to worry about her after
she died, she would be well taken care of when she went to heaven. A little
boy in a blue suit was going to be there to help her find her way. She also
told my mother that she would always be close to us in whatever we did, our
family would just have to look for a butterfly because that would be her.
Eighteen years later I still stop to look at every butterfly that comes my
way and I always tell it hello and how much I love her. I plant more and
more flowers in my garden every year just so I can talk to a butterfly every day.
Nina Lee Hutchins died on the first day of spring in 1981 and she will
always be missed.
- Gerry Price, Franklin, MA, USA
- About mid way through my college years --- longer ago than I'll admit here ---
I found myself in one of those periods of lost direction. I was unsure of my
path and was beginning to feel as though life made no sense.
It was in very late May on an exquisite almost-summer day in Amherst, MA. Some
college friends and I had been painting an elderly couple's home to make ends meet.
At that time, the Cold War was still in full swing. Amherst was in the flight path
of the SAC bomber base in Chicopee. I was lying on the lawn feeling the warm sun
when I heard the distant whine of a B-52 approaching to land. I lay there as the
enormous bomber slipped overhead --- my view couldn't have been better.
I remember being awed by the enormity, the complexity and even the grace of that
plane as it passed above me. The power of its engines, even in their near-idle
state, was humbling. As it disappeared to the south and quiet returned I continued
my revelry looking up into the blue sky.
Silently, a butterfly appeared directly over my head, hovering or at least bobbing
back and forth in my field of view. It was a beautiful Tiger Swallowtail. I was
quite amused that it would appear so close to my face and seemed to work at staying
right above me. I studied it --- the structure and coloring of its wings, the
intricacies of its body. It then became embarrassingly obvious. This creature was
the true marvel. Not the huge, loping war machine but this simple living work of
art. I smiled. The early summer warmth spread inside again.
- John Roskelley, Spokane, WA, USA
- Around the first of August, 1978, Rick Ridgeway and I were fixing
ropes at 24,000 feet along the Northeast Ridge of K2 in our effort to
help our team make the first American ascent. The knife-bladed ridge divided
Communist Tibet from Pakistan, from where we had approached the peak.
It was a windless and clear day, with a temperature of around 10 degrees.
Rick, sitting on an ice shelf, belayed me as I moved carefully sideways on the
60 degree slope. Quite unexpectedly, I noticed a Monarch butterfly fly past
my head. It was the last thing at this altitude and temperature I
expected to see. Suddenly, there was another, then another, until
finally, there were hundreds, perhaps thousands coming out of Tibet,
rising on the thermals and trying to cross over the immense ridge into
Pakistan to the south. It was a full-blown migration over the second
highest mountain on earth. Butterflies continued to cross the ridge throughout
the day, but in fewer numbers. In camp that night, there were Monarchs in our
tent, cook water, sleeping bags and just about any other place. Many of them
had perished on the icy slopes of K2 that day, but many more made it into the
warm valleys of Pakistan and eventually into Kashmir and India. Unlike our
species, they crossed these borders without regard to race or religion, a
feat not easy in this world of ours today.
- Shirley, MO, USA
- About 15 years ago, I was leaving work and as I approached
the road, I saw a butterfly on the side of the road and it looked to be
stunned or injured. I stopped, picked it up, and put it on the
grass near the road, not knowing what else to do. I went about my business,
then a few weeks later I was at work outdoors
and to my lovely surprise a butterfly fluttered about my head for a few
seconds, and then this beautiful creature landed on my smock lapel and twittered
about for a few seconds as if to thank me. It then flew away and ever since I
have been hooked on these delicate winged creatures and to think God gave ME
this honor, to have this butterfly visit me was breath-taking and
overwhelming.
- Stephanie D, LA, USA
- On August 15, 1997, I felt that my world had come to an end. My nineteen
year old son had been murdered in a carjacking and robbery. I was devastated.
From that day on I knew that my life would never be the same.
My son was my love and my light. He was always so happy and so loving. Damian
would light up a room just by walking through the door. He had a kind heart and
wonderful spirit, he was loving and giving, a gentle giant. Damian loved
children, and children loved him. He loved life and everything in it. His love
for God and his faith were strong. God, how could this be happening? How could
the first most wonderful thing that happened in my life be taken from me?
The next few days were nothing but a blur; funeral arrangements, family and
friends, shock from what I had just been told about my son. I was numb. My
worst nightmare had come true. What was I going to do?
A couple of days after the funeral, in my desperation, I went to the cemetery
to visit my son’s grave. I was alone at last. Alone to let out all of my tears,
alone to scream at the top of my lungs, where no one else could hear me. I knelt
on the dirt, and directly in front of me was a single rose that someone had
placed into a clump of dirt. As I was screaming and crying, I asked, “Damian,
what will I do? How can I go on without you?”
At that exact moment a beautiful butterfly landed on the rose, directly in
front of me, despite my delirium. I stopped crying immediately. The butterfly
slowly fluttered its wings while facing me. I stared in amazement. Several
moments passed, and I slowly reached out to touch the butterfly. Just as my
finger was about to touch it, the butterfly fluttered up and above my head. I
was stunned. My first thought was to say “Alright Damian, I get the message.
You are okay in your new life.” A sense of relief and peace swept over me. I
knew this was a message sent from Heaven to ease my pain and loss. For the next
several days, everytime I went to visit the grave, the butterfly would be there,
happily flying about.
About a week later, still numb with grief, I sat on the floor sorting boxes of
pictures, looking for those loving reminders of my dear child. While sitting
there, weeping, I noticed an envelope addressed to me, written in my dear child’s
handwriting from many years before. The postmark on the envelope was
May 10, 1985, when my son was seven years old, at which time he was in the
first grade. As I opened the letter and began to read, tears poured from my
eyes, and I could not contain myself. Evidently a school project, my son wrote
to tell me how much he loved me, in the only way a seven year old can. The
letter read:
Dear Mom,
I love you very much. You always help me. Thank you for being so sweet. I
love your cooking. It is so nice to have you wake me up. homework wold be
terrible without you. you are the best mom and have the bigest heart. I love you.
Love, Damian
I then noticed a crude drawing at the bottom of the letter. In blue crayon
he had colored the bottom half of the page, except for one place in the shape
of a butterfly. In the center of the butterfly he had written these words:
Butterfly
go to my mother.
whisper that I love her.
Love, Damian
From that moment on, I have never doubted that the butterfly that came to
me at the cemetery was a message from my son. About a week later, I met with
Damian’s first grade teacher. Fighting back tears unsuccessfully, I told her
the story of the butterfly. I told her that I understand her job is very hard,
and a lot of times thankless. I know most teachers are not given the
appreciation that they truly deserve. Teachers touch the lives of so
many children, in ways that they may never know. The simple little project
she had done with a first grade class so many years ago had impacted my life
forever. Together we hugged and wept.
Thank you, Mrs. Ann Hardy! I will remember you with love forever, and you
will always remain special in my heart. And everytime I see a butterfly, I
smile and think about Damian, and it brightens my day.
- Berkeley, CA, USA
- My daughter was dating a boy named George and on Sunday morning I got a
call that his father had died. That afternoon, as I was strolling in my garden,
I came across a Monarch. It was late in the season for a Monarch. They should
have all migrated by now. It must be one of the last Monarchs. I thought
about doing a butterfly release for the funeral. In the past I had raised
Monarchs for other people who released them at funerals. The butterfly is a
symbol of the soul passing on.
The funeral was on Wednesday and I thought this could be the last Monarch I
would see, but I didn’t want to catch it and keep it imprisoned in a box for
three whole days. So I took a chance and let that one go, determined I would
find another butterfly on Tuesday. Now on Tuesday I went out looking for any
kind of butterfly. The whole day was gone and no butterfly. The sun was getting
low in the sky. My wife drove home then and both of us looked around for the
last time. We realized that nothing was going to happen. You don’t find
butterflies at night. I followed my wife toward the house. She went in.
I stopped and closed my eyes and the thought was something like,
'Please God I need a butterfly by tomorrow.' Right after that I knew I’d be
out in the morning and it would show up. It might be magic, but it would be
back. Then I dismissed the thought and feelings going through my head and
after five seconds of that I went in the house.
My wife was on the phone with a woman who was telling her that she had just
found a Monarch Butterfly at her doorstep. Earlier in the day she’d found the
Monarch and was concerned because it was so late in the season and was calling
people to find out how to care for a Monarch butterfly. She had called me to
come pick it up and take care of it for her.
My wife, having been skeptical about all this butterfly magic, was amazed.
She had now become a part of this process! I threw on a Monarch T-shirt and
went to pick up my Monarch. When I arrived the first thing she said was 'I
have the same T-shirt!' She also had a butterfly cage in her house and had
taken care of them two years ago. I gave her a copy of a book I brought
with me, I, Monty by Marcus Bach, because of our similar experiences.
The magic of sychronisity was back and, of course, it was all about
butterflies. The butterfly had landed in her yard, the yard of a butterfly
lover. She had thought to call me and it was on that very evening when
I was especially looking for a butterfly! The magic was back.
I took the butterfly home, made it a sugar/water solution and hand fed it.
It became active after eating and flew around the house. I put it to sleep
for the night in a dark cage of its liking. The next day at the funeral
I released the Monarch while reciting a prayer from Marianne Williamson’s
book Illuminata about spirit flying free. The butterfly took off straight
up in the air and disappeared in a flash. People came up to me later and
said it was the most beautiful service ever. People felt that the soul had
left on the wings of that butterfly.
George said that he needed to be alone for an hour at the gravesite.
As I was walking to the car I kept looking back wishing that butterfly
would appear again. We left and it didn’t appear. I thought, 'Oh, well,
nice thought. I can’t have everything I wish for.' On the way home I told my
wife that something’s going to happen. I’m thinking that the night after
I lost my aunt I felt my aunt walking down the hall and that something like
that was going to happen.
Here’s what happened. George called us when he got home. On his way
home from the cemetery he stopped at a light and a Monarch landed next
to his car. This was an area under construction, not a place where you’d
normally see a butterfly. When the light turned green, the butterfly flew
right along with his car and kept pace with him. As the butterfly followed
him, he broke into tears, beautiful bittersweet tears. When he got home he
opened his door. He saw his father sitting there. I had only felt my aunt’s
presence the day after her funeral, George said he actually saw his father.
Whether you believe George saw his father or not, is not important. What is
important is that butterfly meant something to George that absolutely heeled
his pain. George knew then that his father was with him and always would be.
- Galveston, IN, USA
- I began teaching a self-contained moderatedly mentally handicapped middle
school last year. Early in the year I found a monarch caterpillar on my classroom
door. (The science teacher across the hall had a caterpillar hotel in her room.
This one had escaped.)
I thought that it would be an interesting experience for my students to
watch the caterpillar, so I found a jar and some milkweed leaves.
The students were fascinated! They named the caterpillar "Garth".
We watched Garth everyday, kept a chart of his size, made predictions
about when the coccoon would open, and drew pictures of the whole process.
The day Garth came out of the cocoon was such an experience for the whole class,
myself included. Students at this cognitive level don't often relate to the
world around them, but this experience related to them and they still talk
about seeing Garth.
One of the students even made up her own play about garth!
This year we are getting ready to start a bired and butterfly garden at our school.
Hopefully garth will visit!
- Charleston, SC, USA
- In the summer of 1996 I was sitting with a special
friend of mine at a Christian camp in North Carolina.
We were enjoying the view of the camp lake when a
monarch landed on my hand. He said one of the sweetest
things I have ever heard "You do know that if a
butterfly lands on you when you are with someone
that means that you were meant to be together." Maybe
this is a corny pick-up line but it sure got me because
I love butterflies and I also love him!
- Emma, Canberra, NSW, AUSTRALIA
- Story
Every day my life is touched by butterflies, they flutter by my windows,
they fly by my side and remind me of the beauty that life offers.
Every day I encounter giant cream and black, azure blue, vermilion and
brown wonders of nature. The strange and inspiring intrigue that I have
with butterflies is that while they fly by my home in Canberra everyday,
the same species of giant wonders seem to follow me to my boyfriend's
home in Sydney. He and I share a truly profound cosmic bond, and when we
first met giant butterflies of azure blue and black followed us
(even in the heart of Sydney's smokey Central) from Sydney to Canberra,
and the same species that now surround us. When I see these creatures I
am reminded of the love I share with my man and the nature of life's
cosmic wonder.
- Lubna, BAHRAIN
- Reading some of the stories, I don't think mine is very inspirational.
But anyway .. since being 13 I've loved angels, them being so innocent and all.
But on my 15th birthday, a friend of mine gave me a butterfly toy saying that i was
his butterfly and just as
innocent as one. From that day on I've been totally obsessed with butterflies
and just die over them. I've never realized how beautiful they are.
My favourite is the common blue butterfly.
It's only been 4 months since my 15th birthday, but now I see butterflies
wherever I am. Coincidental? I don't know!
I just think that butterflies are the angels of this world ..
just as beautiful ... just as innocent .... just as majestic!
- USA
- In October of 1997, my daughter Emma was diagnosed with a childhood cancer
called Neuroblatoma. She had just had her first birthday the month before. Emma
went through many rounds of harsh chemotherapy, many minor surgeries as well as
two spinal surgeries. We nearly lost her a few times due to infection and
malnutrition.
After several months of therapy it was clear nothing was shrinking her very
substantial tumor. It seemed as though it as becoming less cancerous, but any
treatments available weren't able to help us. We stopped treatment.
After a few weeks of being fed by a tube and rest from chemo, I sat outside
on our lanai behind our home on Oahu, Hawaii. I was pushing Emma in her
little dolphin swing. About five butterflies come over to see Emma. I felt as
though they they had missed my baby girl. They made me feel as though
everything was going to be okay, like I hadn't felt in nearly a year.
Emma giggled as they floated along on the warm, soft trade winds.
We lived on a military base, and our homes were all very close together.
As strange as this may seem, the butterflies were always in our yard, and
we haven't had to go back to the hospital very much since.
We now live in San Diego, and we are getting ready to plant a very
butterfly friendly yard here. My daughter Emma is still not getting
cancer treatment, but is healthier than she has ever been.
- Lauren J., Madison, MS, USA
- Last January I got really sick. I had the flu, bordering on pneumonia. I
felt horrible and lay in bed for a few days and slept. I finally got well
enough to get up and move around so I went to my glass doors and looked outside.
It was freezing cold, and I saw a beautiful butterfly lying on the ground.
Very carefully, I picked the poor thing up. It fluttered a little bit but was
on the brink of death. I brought it inside my warm house and put it in the
bathroom and turned on the heater. I put a hummingbird feeder in with it and
some fresh water and left it alone. I checked back on it about an hour later and
it seemed to be doing a lot better. It didn't just lie on the ground like it once
had. It fluttered a lot more and seemed to be doing ok. I ran into an old
closet and pulled out an old butterfly cage that I had raised butterflies in once.
I kept it there until the next warm day. I took the cage outdoors and opened the
door. The butterfly hesitated for a moment, and then took off. I watched it until
I couldn't see it anymore. It was gone and I went back inside. Since then I
have been a butterfly fanatic. I love them. They are everywhere in my room.
Thanks to one little one, I have an appreciation for all creatures, great and
small.
- Hilda Travis, Reston, VA, USA
- On a beautiful Summers day we had gone back to the Country to bury my
Son-in-law. As the pallbearers were taking the casket from the hearse a beautiful
yellow butterfly hovered over the flowers atop the casket. I saw it and I
wondered if any one else did. Finally I mentioned it to my Daughter and Grandson,
and they said that they saw it too. It disappeared as suddenly as it came.
A few days later as I was on the balcony back home I was amazed to see a yellow
butterfly just darting back and forth. Later that week as I was working in the
garden where I live, I again saw
a lovely yellow butterfly, only one. By then I knew that Butterfly must have been
a symbol of love and peace, and that my Son-in-law was telling me all was well.
- Richard Heymann, Charleston, SC, USA
- My mother loved butterflies and used them as a decorating motif. Surrounded
by them as were were growing up, my sister and I came to appreciate their
beauty and love them, too.
Mother died at age 54 in February, 1977. Her wishes were to be cremated.
When the weather turned warmer, my father, sister and I got in a motor boat
with the Rector of our church and proceeded to a wildlife refuge not far from
where the Maumee River (runs through Toledo, Ohio) meets Lake Erie.
The ashes of a number of parishioners were distributed in the water by the
Rector. Then it was my mother's 'turn'. With a mixture of solemnity and
peace--knowing we were following her explicit wishes--we committed her remains
to the Refuge.
Just as we finished and an emotion-filled silence filled the boat as we stood
there gazing at the water and her ashes dispersing, a butterfly fluttered
throughout our midst--not just passing by but staying within the portion of
the stern of the boat where we stood.
That was no coincidence and I was both heartened by that 'sign' and deeply
moved by it. Obviously, none of us there will forget that moment and now
seeing butterflies in any form brings me the joy of the remembrance of how
much she enjoyed them...and we her.
- Deborah Clark, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
- I was 19 years old ,too young to have a baby, I had twins. On the day
my parents and I brought them home I was sitting outside getting and little
"fresh air" and I prayed to God to help me love, respect and most of all
protect my two beautiful healthy babies and just at that moment a white
butterfly landed on my shoulder. My girls are 4 years old now and are very smart,
well mannered, healthy and are very loved. My collection of butterflies has
its own bedroom!!! I love my identical butterflies!!!
- Becky Baes, Lockport, NY, USA
- In May of 1998 I lost my husband of 9 years. I was so devastated by this
loss as is anyone who loses a loved one. I have always loved butterflies and
their freedom and my husband knew this. About 2 weeks after he died I was
mowing the yard with my garden tractor. I cried so much while doing this. Out
of nowhere came a butterfly that started to follow me all throughout the yard.
It just wouldn't leave me alone! I finally stopped and turned off the tractor
and that butterfly proceeded to start flitting all over my face as if to give me
kisses. I do believe that was my honey coming to tell me he was ok and as free
and beautiful as all the butterflies I have loved. That butterfly stayed with
me for about a month and then was gone but I will be looking for it again this
summer. Just before my husband died he helped me put up a butterfly house in
our garden--I hope he is home!
- Kimberly Weynberg, Clark, NJ, USA
- I have always liked butterflies but I didn't really appreciate them and love
them fully until I took a recent trip to Niagara Falls with the man I love.
We went to the Butterfly Conservatory in Canada. It was my favorite part of the
trip. We walked through this indoor garden and hundreds of butterflies were
fluttering about our heads. Jon and I took pictures of them and Jon out waited
one particularly shy butterfly that I had fallen in love with just so I would
have a picture of that one. It took him a half hour to get that picture.
It was such a great act of love from him especially because I didn't ask him
to do it he just knew how much it would mean to me. Since Jon and I live in
separate states we talk mostly on E-mail and since our trip one of our favorite
things to talk about and give pictures of is butterflies.
- JS, Sunnyvale, CA, USA
- I didn't plan on writing this Butterfly poem. In fact, I didn't follow any poetry rules - the words just came out from a painful experience, and yet it was one that has continually transformed me. Last October, my boyfriend and I broke-up- it was rather strange, because the night before, I said farewell to him in my journal entry - my mind was ready to move on, and yet my heart didn't seem to want to let go. The following day, he expressed his loss of feeling towards me. The poem I have included with this letter was born out of that painful day. I am not sure how your readers will be impacted by this poem - but here it is. I wish blessings, peace, and joy to those reading it. -----------------------------------------------------
Beloved Butterfly - by J.S.
October 24, 1998 - Copyright 1998
Beloved Butterfly
The time has come for you
away to fly
You've touched my life
As God, our witness
As we breathed, the breath of love
Our wings enfold
in each other's sacred embraces
Love is, and is, and always is
as I have remembered;
true Love that is,
but not the fleeting kind
The later is sometimes
beautifully transformed
into an initiation of true Loving.
My Love for you perhaps
sprung as an initial fleeting
flurry of emotions
But how, I don't understand,
It has grown from the very start
through thick or thin
this Love has grown deeper within
As you fly away
I turn my face
not out of hate
For in true loving
there isn't a place for hate or fear.
As you fly away
tears flow with pain
As you fly away
tears flow with a blessing
that you'll land again
in someone else's arms
with a love even greater than mine
You'll mirror that love
for that someone
whom God is preparing for you;
Someone whose love and whose heart
is after God's very own
Farewell for now
For the pain is too intense
a sure pathway
for growth and strength
My future is a landscape
and this is how I see it
It's full of flowering plants
fragrant and vibrant
Butterflies are welcome
and in time
you may wish to come
and visit for awhile
by then, we're men
who have remembered more
who we really are
in God's eyes
By then, we'll share
a friendship
that may last a lifetime.
- Jill Abtey, Salisbury, MO, USA
- I don't know if this story is an inspirational story, but it is a butterfly
experience that touched me in a way that I will never forget, and can live the
moment over and over in my mind. It was the awe of nature that forever left an
imprint in my mind......
I was about 8 years old and it was a cool fall day. I lived in a small suburb in
Western New York at the time. My mother had sent me outside for the afternoon,
much to my disagreement! While standing in the front yard, a large cloud had
dimmed the sun. I still don't know if it was reflex, or curiosity that made me
glance to the sky at that moment, as I had seen many clouds block the sun, but
at that moment it struck me that it was not a cloud that had blocked the sun that
day, but a mass of Monarch butterflies! They were beautiful and graceful. Only
a moment had passed, and they were gone from my view, but etched forever in my
memory.
I now have children of my own, and still look to the skies every time a cloud
covers the sun....
- Alison, Reno, NV, USA
- My mother just recently died & as I was on the phone to my dad crying he
tried his hardest to calm me down by saying "Do you think that a caterpillar
knows it becomes a butterfly, and do you think all the caterpillars cry when one
of them leaves? No, because they leave to become a beautiful, free soaring
butterfly and that's just what our lives are like. We leave this material body
to be something just as beautiful and like the caterpillars we don't know what
we become." Now I'm interested in learning about butterflies.
- Brad Carlson, Minden, IA, USA
- I have been an avid lepidopterist since I was 2 years
old...for essentially my entire life. I will never forget
how I got to know butterflies. My father took me out into
our backyard in suburban San Antonio, just so that I could
explore the world of nature and have some sort of appreciation
and curiosity about it. I will never forget how the butterflies
amazed me at such an impressionistic age. Peaceful and fragile
hairstreaks, darting skippers, gliding Monarchs and swallowtails,
silver-spotted Gulf Fritillaries...even the occasional Malachite
all went out of their way to dazzle me with their variety of
colors and behaviors. The rich fauna of southern Texas made it
all the more special because I was able to see something new
everyday. I always tell my father what a great gift he gave me...
how it has changed my life and shaped and molded it into who and what
I am today. He still is so modest about it...as if it was nothing.
He will never know that the reason I am now an entomology major
is because of that first walk in my backyard, and how close I feel
to the butterflies and nature in general because of that door he opened,
however inadvertent it may have been. I have had many intimate moments
with nature's finest ever since, and I will never, ever have it any other way.
- Hazelfaery, Naples, FL, USA
- Butterflies are a total inspiration. As I became more confident in my life,
about my music, images of the butterfly seemed to dance before my eyes making
themselves one with the sounds I was channeling. Making music is a very spiritual
experience and the butterflies have definatly made an impression on me in that
way. My musical group's name is 'Butterfly Messiah'. The ethereal qualities of a
swirling butterfly's wings can be likened to the way we sound.
In our tiny backyard, I decided to let them know how much I
appreciate them and I planted some butterfly vines and flowers.
Now I enjoy their company every morning over tea!
- Attica, IN, USA
- When I was a young boy about 40 years ago, while out hunting
West of Boswell In. along a row of hedge trees
I found myself in the middle of the Monarch butterflies
migration. There were thousands of them going South. I
wonder how many others can say this. It has always stayed
in my mind. IT WAS A BEAUTYFUL SIGHT I WILL NEVER FORGET.
- Daina Lynn Forsberg, Sea Cliff, Long Island, NY, USA
- Ever since I was been a little girl I've always felt close to butterflies.
And when they became a fashion trend I felt that they might fall into the wrong
hands. I saw that people only cared because they had pretty wings and looked
good on a t-shirt, or as a hair barett. Without realizing what amazing creatures
they really are, society seems to be over-using them and pushing them as a
very popular marketing approach. Personally I find this situaton quite strange.
Yes they are a symbol of freedom, beauty and peace and many people would like
to "capture" that for themselves. I just can hope that when we wear our
butterfly gear that we understand they are a living insect, a lovely reminder
what our sweet mother earth has put here not just for humans to see, but for
the essential balance of this ever changing planet. I have so much respect
for the creator of this web page and the lover of the butterflies.
- Shirley Saum, Canby, MN, USA
- August of 1993 was a very sad time for me. Our beloved grand-son had
drowned in a swimming accident. Jesse and I were very close and he enjoyed
spending time with me and I with him. I will always miss him, but when I see
butterflies it brings me a certain peace.
After I returned home from the funeral, I decided to make a butterfly garden in
Jesse's memory. I spent many hours planning, digging, and planting. It was
wonderful therapy for me and I felt a closeness to Jesse.
The next summer my little garden began to blossom. I had planted species that
I felt would attract butterflies and they did. The bee balm and butterfly weed
were magnets for butterflies. The zinnias and marigolds were also visited
frequently by butterflies.
Each year I extend my garden a little more, so now have holly-hocks, phlox,
pin-cushion flowers, asters, false sun-flowers and carnations. It is a
wonderful array of colors and a peaceful place for me to think about Jesse; each
time I see a butterfly flutter by, it fills me with pleasure. I know Jesse
would have enjoyed my garden and I have wonderful memories and a peaceful spot
in my yard. I have added an angel here and there and it has become my favorite
place to be.
- Traverse City, MI, USA
- As a child, I always
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