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Inspirational Stories
Stories Contributed by Our Visitors:
January 2010 to Present
(Newest Items at Top of List)
Click HERE to give us your story
- Steph C., Covington, LA
- My daughters Amy-8 and Theresa-6 received a Painted Lady Butterfly Kit from their Aunt Cathy for Christmas. They had never done anything like this before so they were extremely excited. Each day before and after school and before bedtime they would check on the growth of their caterpillars. Amy even logged the daily events of the caterpillars in her journal. When the caterpillars crawled to the top of the cup to form their chrysalids we all kept an even closer eye on them.
One night after my girls were in bed I noticed one of the caterpillars shaking and becoming larger, I called up to my girls to come watch. We watched this tiny caterpillar take on a whole new form. It took her about 30 minutes to wrap herself in the chrysalis, taking multiple breaks to rest. It was the most amazing thing I had ever seen.
We had marked our calendar at the begining to keep a timeline of their amazing journey. My girls talked to the caterpillars and offered words of encouragement while they were undergoing their amazing transformation. They would say such things as "You can do it", "You will be so beautiful when you come out". They talked to the caterpillars just as others talk to their cats and dogs. It was very heartwarming for me to watch. Just as we were told 7-10 days after the caterpillars were snug in their chrysalids they began to emerge. We had received 10 larva total and were told usually only 3 out of 5 survive. 9 out of the 10 formed a chrysalid and all 9 emerged as butterflies.
Now here is the sad but joyful part of the story. The first butterfly to emerge got stuck and his wings were not able to open therefore hardening close to his body. His little face was not able form correctly either. We saw him lying on the bottom of the habitat and thought for sure he was dead. The others had now emerged and seemed to all be healthy. The next day I was going to remove the deformed one when I noticed he was in a different spot and I could see his little leg moving. I kept him in the habitat and made sure he was next to a flower at all times. After about a week my girls decided to let them out (we kept the one that had not formed all the way in the habitat). All the butterflies flew out, with a little coaxing of coarse, except for one. Amy, my 8 yr old, put her hand in the habitat and the butterfly climed onto her finger. It would not fly away. She walked around for about 30 minutes with it on her finger. She named her Maria and has been taking care of her since that day. She feeds, talks, and takes Maria for walks everyday. I noticed that Maria is missing one of the bulbs on the end of one of her antenna, which controls her balance, which is why she won't fly away. The butterfly that did not form all the way is still alive as well. It has been approx 2 1/2 wks since they emerged. Theresa, my 6 yr old as well as myself have been taking care of him. She named him David. Each morning I take the syringe and feed him some sugar water. It amazes me that this little creature is still living. I have worked with special needs preschoolers so I guess that is why I wouldn't give up on this little guy.
Our lives are so busy and so fast paced that we don't notice the little things that God has given us until they are put right in front of us. I had never given any part of nature a second glance before I was given the chance to take care of one of God's smallest creatures. Now I take the time to notice all the wonderful creatures He has put before us and all of the nature that exist along with them. Sometimes it pays to "Stop And Smell The Roses"!!!!
- Barb Smeltzer, Brampton, ON, CANADA
- My father passed away on March 21, 2010 in Calgary after a brief journey with cancer. I loved my father so much, we were very close. We traveled together and talked on the phone at least twice a day. His passing has left a permanent void in my heart.
A week after I was visiting my relatives in northern Alberta. The temperature was still cool as it was only a week after the official start of spring. On my second day there I went for a walk.
When I arrived back home I sat on the front step, thinking about my Dad and feeling quite sad. Within a minute or so, I looked up to see a butterfly on the other side of the fence. It flew over to me, around my head for a bit, then settled near by. I thought how nice, maybe it is a sign my Dad is around. The butterfly then flew up again, this time resting for quite awhile on my left side by a flower before flying off.
I looked up the meaning of butterflies and found this site. It brought much comfort to me. The next day I went out for walk by the lake, different time and place. I started thinking about Dad again. In my mind I called out for him to show me a sign he was still here. Within moments the same type of butterfly appeared.
It rested on a rock while I watched it. When I got up to continue walking it followed me down the path. I took a picture of it as some people didn't believe me when I said I saw a butterfly at that time of year.
The next day I walked on the path again hoping to encounter the butterfly once more. Within moments of thinking about my Dad the same type appeared. But this time it joined up with two more before they all flew away.
I feel it might have been a sign from my Dad saying he was with his Mom and Dad and he was okay. Those experiences helped me feel comforted when I needed it the most.
- Helen, Long Island, NY
- Our son was killed in a jet that he was piloting as a member of the US Air Force. He was an excellent pilot and it grieved us terribly, wondering how did this happen. One day, several months after his passing, I noticed a swallowtail on a small plant near my deck, very close to our door. It sat there for hours, and allowed me to take pictures of it and approach it to within an inch.
Not knowing the significance of butterflies, I looked it up and realized that this could be our son, letting us know he was alright. It has helped the agony of losing our son, at his prime, with such a zest for life and learning. Now he is free to soar forever.
- Mike, Miami, FL
- I was thanking God for everything he did and out of nowhere a yellow butterfly comes and stays for a little moment then comes back. It was the brightest yellow I've ever seen in my life.
- Queene, Salem, OR
- My grandmother died 27years ago and at the cemetery my grandfather's grave was approx 5 feet away from my grandmother's. There were 2 white butterflies flying up to the sky together and when my sister was getting married she was getting dressed and we never did figure out how this white butterfly was able to cross the curtain and surround my sister heart. That was grandma.
We had a family gathering one year at my mom's great nephew house and there was a white butterfly just sitting and watching; it was very cool. She's always with us and she will of course never be forgotten.
There was one year I was looking out the back yard window and I saw 3 white butterfies playing together. They changed direction as one went towards the fence, one went towards the house and the other went another direction where it looked like a diamond. You just had to see the beauty and grace of the nature of the butterfly.
The beauty of a butterfly
shows how gracious
it can be as it shows off
its colors
as having a butterfly in a warming
area of your home gives you a creation
of having someone that had passed join
home with you again.
a butterfy is a natural spirit of freedom
as it tends to show our new path and journey
of direction.
- Marlena, Horsham, PA
- The summer of 2001 changed my life completely. I was 16 years old and a runaway with my boyfriend who was 18 at the time. We were running away because no one in our familes wanted us to be together. On July 15 2001 he had robbed a cab driver and was hit by an 18 wheeler tractor trailer while running from the police. I was traumatized. The day before the funeral I was sitting on my porch reading the bible and praying to God for a sign that my boyfriend knows that I love him and will never forget him and right after that a butterfly came up and landed right on the page of the bible and I knew in my heart that it was him and when I found out later butterflies represent a new beginning of life after a corrupt death I just knew for sure that he was there that day on the porch. And ever since then I've seens hundreds of signs. And I'm truly comforted by them. I feel like my soul is surrounded by butterflies and that I am protected by them. Aren't they beautiful??
- Fiona, Dublin, IRELAND
- My mam died the 1st March 2006. A few days after she was buried a beautiful butterfly came into my bedroom and stayed with me for a period of time, I felt it was my Mother letting me know that she was free and happy now.
In May 2009, while on holidays, I asked God to please send me a butterfLy to let me know that mam was okay. Within 10 seconds a small white butterfly appeared from nowhere. This confirmed for me that butterflies are indeed special, and will always hold a place in my heart, so much so that the theme of my wedding this summer will be butterflies.
- Sheila Coggan, Nottinghamshire, ENGLAND
- My husband passed away in October 2007. My daughter and I went to buy two flowering bushes to plant in the garden, along with his ashes. My daughter was digging the holes in which to plant the bushes when a beautiful butterfly settled on her shoulder. As she stood back to make sure the holes were large enough to receive the plants, the butterfly flew from her shoulder and landed on mine. It stayed there then flew back and settled on my daughter. The butterfly did this the whole time we were planting the bushes. When the bushes were firmly in the ground, along with my late husband's ashes, the butterfly circled in and out of the bushes then did one more circle over our heads and flew away. Neither of us have ever seen this type of coloured butterfly in the last 2½ years but when I go into the garden to look at the place where the bushes are now flowering healthily, I can guarantee a butterfly will be there flying round and round. The butterflies which hover round the bushes though are not the same colour as the one which came to visit us the day we planted them. I believe there is a huge significance between the loss of a loved one and the sight of a butterfly.
- Tara Martin, Cincinnati, OH
- I was 31 years old! I lost my Father in October of 2005 to lung cancer! He was my hero. My life! I cursed God's name. I swore I would never believe again - in anything, God or humans! My Father was gone! I was alone, I was sure NOBODY could relate! I was sure NOBODY had ever lost their Father and even if they had it was surely not as devastating as my loss! Self-pity was the order of the day!
As I was traveling from my Mother's home to my home to gather my things for the funeral, I was in my car with slits for eyes from the crying and wailing and I took the "scenic" route for this hour and a half journey. As I was busy cursing God's name - I started to see all these tiny white butterflies in the fields on the road I was traveling on. Hundreds of them in some spots. I was bewildered.
As I arrived home one single white butterfly accompanied me to the door! I paced and headed back and this time took a different route and low and behold those same tiny white butterflies everywhere. I am a recovering alcoholic and my program teaches me that God does for me what I could not do for myself! To this day, 4 and a half years later, those same tiny white butterflies magically show up when I'm sad, when I'm hurting, when I need my Father the most. What I have come to believe is that those tiny white butterflies are God doing for me what I could not do for myself! His gentle way of reminding me I am not alone and that the sight of them bring me such comfort! My Buddhist nail technician said "they are your Dad"! The comfort is unbelievable and I have a relationship with God today as I never had in my life! Tiny white butterflies - from death to life!
- Ashley Rudd, Stockbridge, GA
- One of my best friends died September 1st and the day of his funeral we all went back to his house and I was sitting in the backyard by myself and I looked over towards the pool where we had spent all summer together and I saw these two yellow butterflies just flying around and I just remember sitting there mesmerized by how they were just so beautiful flying around in circles. I went back over to his house a couple weeks later and I saw this drawing that another one of his friends had drawn for a tattoo and it was of a yellow butterfly. Apparently she had been seeing them around too and when I asked his mom about it she told me that she had been seeing them too flying all around their yard.
- Melody Tiempo, Caloocan City, PHILIPPINES
- I really love butterflies. I used to love them since my best friend gave me a gift which is a butterfly. Our relationship as best friend is still going strong because of butterflies. It symbolizes our friendship, and I am hoping that it will last and no one can break our friendship because like a butterfly I maybe die when someone stole him from me.
- Sue Allen, Warwickshire, GREAT BRITAIN
- Hi my name is Sue. My daughter committed suicide on 25th December at the age of 27 in 2008. I wanted a tattoo in memory of her but I couldn't make my mind up what to have, then a friend said to me one day why don't you have a butterfly. She's flying free and they are brightly coloured and they are all around you in the summer. So that's what I had done with her name in the middle of it. After I had it done I always saw a butterfly wherever I went. It was as if she was telling me that she was there with me and she liked what I had done. I have many things that have butterflies on them - books, bags, purses and folders, necklaces and earrings and keyrings. When I buy them I just feel close to her. It may sound funny to other people but it comforts me. So that is my story.
- Alistair, Inverness, UK
- My wife felt tired on the evening of Friday 4 Dec. 2009 after coming home from work. This was unusual as she followed all the rules of healthy living, gym memberships, swam regularly and ate only healthy meals. By Saturday she was exhausted even climbing the stairs and doing simple tasks. We visited the local hospital emergency department where they diagnosed a kidney infection and gave her antibiotics. By Sunday morning her eyes and skin had taken on a yellow tint and she was unable to perform simple physical tasks. On Monday we visited our GP and she did bloods promising results by Wednesday, however she called on Monday evening and asked me to admit her to hospital within 1 hour.
Over the next 48 hours they had diagnosed advanced pancreatic and liver cancer which had been masked by her high fitness level.
Unfortunately her decline was rapid and she passed away on 21 December. This was the breaking of what was a close family chain. I was privileged to be there holding her hand when she passed.
The funeral was held on the 29th December and the church was almost unable to hold all the people who turned up to pay their respects. It was late December -3.5 degrees outside with deep snow and as is normal the church was not so warm. As the minister stood up to start the funeral service a butterfly flew around the church several times to the astonishment of the mourners, then vanished. The minister explained the significance of a butterfly which is the symbol of the resurrection during the Easter celebration. We as a family take great comfort that she was there with us at the service and is waiting to link the family chain again when we are eventually called one by one.
- Eveline, Auckland, NEW ZEALAND
- I have to warn you that this is not your usual inspirational butterfly story, I haven't lost a friend or relative recently, and no one is particularly sick either.
This story may inspire you because of a small butterfly's will to be a "normal" member of its species.
My neighbours sometimes jokingly call me the "butterfly whisperer" and I find that fun. Here in New Zealand we don't have a lot of big or colourful butterflies so I have fallen in love with the exotic Monarchs and grow lots of swan plants to attract them to my summer garden. We have a lot of trouble to get these fabulous creatures from egg to air-born beauty because of predatory wasps which kill and fly off with caterpillars both large and small - they even attack the chrysalises!
On this particular sunny morning, I kept an eye on one of my darkened chrysalises which was ready to emerge. So few had made it to this stage and I was so pleased for this particular one. I went off to attend to some other task and when I returned minutes later the butterfly was out but had fallen to the ground. I was stricken to see that a wasp was on it and had bitten its still-soft wing. I chased away the wasp, but could see that my butterfly had been wounded. I coaxed him back on to his branch where he could continue to pump and dry his wings but I wondered if it would have been kinder to kill him there and then - I decided to wait and see.
It turned out that one of my butterfly's four wings could not develop, in short, he was a 'butter' with no 'fly'. He was so perfect in all other ways that I decided to let him live.
For the next two weeks I moved him from bright flower to bright flower but in periodically trying to get himself airborne, he fluttered on the groung quite a bit and his wings slowly became more and more tattered as aging wings do. When my butterfly saw his friends flying overhead, he flashed his welcome. On one particular day, his invitation was accepted and a lady came down and appeared to mate with him. Under normal circumstances the female would join with him and she would fly off with him attached for a length of time. Now this did not happen, I will not lie, but it would have been fantastic wouldn't it? It was a bone fide date though and I was so happy for him - at least he got the thrill of that experience!
Well, I didn't see him for a couple of days and then I found his little body under a bush and buried him under his mother swan plant.
You can make of this story what you will, but it made me happy to see this little butterfly try to be a fully paid-up member of his society despite his disability.
- Terry, The Woodlands, TX
- When my mother passed away in 2006 at the graveside service a large butterfly flew over her casket the entire time the minister was speaking. Afterwards my sisters spoke of noticing this.
On the way back home (several states away) small yellow butterflies would fly in front of our windshield. At home for weeks every time I stepped out the front door the same small yellow butterflies would fly near me sometimes right in my face.
One day about a month after Mom's death I was speaking with a neighbor at the curb telling her Mom had passed away. A large butterfly like the one which had flown over her casket lighted on my arm and stayed there as I spoke to the neighbor.
Many times in the years since my mom has passed when I am distressed about something a butterfly will fly right in front of my face and light on a shrub nearby.
A few years before Mom passed away she had given all her daughters a small, inexpensive glass butterfly container. I just stuck mine away in a drawer. At the time I had no idea Mom liked butterflies and the little container really didn't mean much to me. Much later after the live butterfly happenings I noticed Mom had butterfly motifs in both her bathrooms - not that unusual, I guess, but between that and the butterfly container I began to realize something.
That's when I did some research on the butterfly symbol. I had never realized its significance of resurrection. Mom was a Christian and I think when she died that she asked God to use that symbol to send us a message that she is okay and that she sees us from time to time. I think that she believes we will realize that the symbol meant something to her and we will know that the real butterflies are a message from her to us.
- Jolene, Wailuku, HI
- I believe my Grandma comes to visit us, in the form of a Beautiful Monarch Butterfly. Every day when I pick up my children from school, I will see many butterflies, and often one will fly right across real close in front of our car window. At different parks, we will see her and when we were at one park one day, I was feeling a bit down, and a butterfly flew all around me. My daughter exclaimed, "Mommy, did you see that butterfly flying around you?" "That's Great Grandma!" I replied. Just recently at a swimming pool, a beautiful monarch flew right around my daughter and right above her, just skimming her head! Grace often tells me, "I saw Great Grandma today at school!" We feel comfort and peace, when Grandma comes to visit us in butterfly form, and feel her presence and love, guidance and help, every day in our lives. Thank you, for letting me share our story!
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