Inspirational Stories

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January 2016 to Present
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Jennifer, Milford, OH: I met Doug, the love of my life when I was 20, back in 1993. Together, we had a son and lived as a family for years. Doug was a very sweet hearted, kind, generous, soul. He would give anyone the shirt off of his back, and always stopped for every broken down vehicle along the roadside, to help them out. He wasn't perfect by any means though. Over the years Doug and I grew to a point where we could "feel" if the other was upset or having issues when we were apart. When this would happen we would call one another or come over at just the right time. This is always the way it was.

Sadly, Doug had health issues which required surgery. The surgery didn't work and he had to undergo 31 more surgeries before one finally worked. This went on for almost 2 years. During that time he developed an addiction to painkillers. I didn't realize this sadly. On 3/17/05 Doug died of a drug overdose from heroin. I did not "feel" he needed me or that there was an issue at any point. He was able to turn that off I suppose because it was something he was keeping secret from me. Our son and I found him, dead, of a heroin overdose. I personally battled with telling our son the truth or not about what happened. He had just turned 10 at the time, and was very close to his Daddy.

About 2 weeks after his passing, his parents had us over for dinner. After dinner, they gave us some of his belongings that they had. We were given all of his fishing gear and his tackle box, for example. The very last fishing pole his Dad handed me was broken. The top portion was missing... The next day it was beautiful and sunny out. I left work early so I could go visit a special spot that Doug and I used to go fishing at. I brought a book with me to read. I ended up sitting there crying instead of reading the book though. Through my tears I saw a medium sized white butterfly, along the river bank, landing on rocks and then flying a bit and landing again. I followed it with my eyes... It seemed to calm me and hold my interest. It flew and landed right next to me. I sat there very still. My mind was off of Doug for a minute and I was just watching this beautiful butterfly fly and land and fly and land... It flew in back of me. I was sitting on a bit of a hill... I turned and looked up behind me about 3 feet where the the butterfly had just landed. It was sitting on top of a black fishing pole... A piece of a fishing pole that was about 3 feet long. I looked at it and it was black just like the pole that Doug's Dad had given me the evening before, that was broken in half. This pole was broken with a jagged edge just like the pole his Dad gave me. I decided it was probably a long shot but it was possible that it was a match for the pole that belonged to Doug, that I had been given by Doug's Dad. It was covered with a lot of dirt and crud....I wiped it down, put it into my car and drove home... I got home and went down to my basement and picked up the half a pole I had been given....the two fit perfectly. The jagged edges matched up and made one beautiful fishing pole.... But they were still broken. It was Doug's pole and that butterfly led me to it. I hadn't been to our fishing spot for 10 or 11 years. Doug must have continued to fish there. Something led me there and something led me to be given that half of the pole and that butterfly led me to find the other half... I believe it was Doug's spirit letting me know it was okay and not to worry without him there.

I put this behind me over the years and have forgotten about it but recently it's been back in my mind again... I would have never found that pole if it weren't for that butterfly... I showed my son when I got home...even at age 10 he was astounded by it.. Some of us need to know about the other side. Some of us get lost and if we look close enough we can find that other side....it's all in the butterflies.....

Kate, Plymouth, MN: I came out on my deck this morning. It has always been 'my alter' ... my centering point for the start of a new day. Ever since we moved to Minnesota 22 years ago I see great numbers of yellow swallow tail butterflies and have also been privileged to see black ones every once in a while. For some reason this morning I 'Googled' the significance of this beautiful butterfly I see so frequently flying around every summer in my yard and the meadow beyond that borders our lot. I must say that I am not religious. I am agnostic with a strong connection to the spiritual presence nature abundantly presents me with on a daily basis (if I make sure I pay attention to it)...ha ha...isn't easy to forget or not catch the gift sometimes??

When I first moved here 22 years ago Minnesota was the last place I thought I would ever live. It was a job related movie for my husband that would financially be so helpful for our young family. 2 wonderful and lively boys ... hopefully we might have enough money to send them to college! I became really depressed after moving here. I was a fish out of water. I joined a group suggested by my psycologist. All women...all depressed. It was depressing. But I met a woman, perhaps 10 years younger than myself. She was so fun...we became inseparable. (I never perused close relationships in the past. We moved every three years, leaving friends behind had proved too painful. My husband being in the hotel industry...this was your life. Moving to corporate headquarters would give us roots...no more moves).

My dear friend I had met in the depression group... (that sounds so funny to me now) her name was Donna and was in remission from breast cancer. It had been a rough journey for her and her family. She was a wildlife biologist with the DNR and an avid bird watcher. She was one of the people responsible for bringing the swan population out of its rapid decline in the 90's. After several weeks of enjoying each others company she called me out...she didn't see me 'getting it'. I had closed off a part of my self. I had become oblivious to the intimacy that must occur to enable a close friendship. We were in my garage going into the house and she just STOPPED. She turned to me and said "Jesus Kate, don't you get that I want to be best friends? What is wrong with you. I love being around you. You are so funny and endearing. Don't you get I want you to share yourself with me?"

I was taken aback and feeling a bit vulnerable all of a sudden. I told her no one had ever said out loud that being my friend was so important. What an amazing complement...a gift right in front of me. Later I realized it just might have been the gift of my life when she said those words. Thus the beginning of such a special and wondrous friendship. She took me to the woods and taught me about birds. She told me about what her cancer had done not only to her but her husband and her boys. She invited me to the 'annual' boundary water trip comprised of 10 or 12 of the most amazing women I had ever met. Women that lived life on their own terms. What had I been doing as a woman sleeping or something. What a spark...what an amazing notion. I could give myself permission to to and be whomever I wanted...no holds barred!

Ahhh, sweet freedom. The wilderness had always been a special place for me and my husband as well. But oh how I wished I was one of these brave courageous rule breaking dream making dynamic women...(I did become one eventually).

Then the floor dropped out from under Donna and from me. After 5 years in remission the cancer returned with a vengeance. We became joined at the hip. I took her to all her doctor appointments. I drove to her house (45 minutes away) at a moments notice. We painted parts of her house and we picked out the best color to paint her front door. She taught me to throw plates. Her husband had built her a brick wall on their property and would go to thrift stores and buy plates stacking them high nest to the wall. It's a great release for anger let me tell you! I would show up at her house just inconsolable. Selfishly crying that 'what would I do after she died'. We talked about death. She wrote letters to old friends and told them how important they had been in her soon to be gone life.

My husband had a work trip to Denmark that fateful August. My youngest son, 10, and I went with him. Josh was so fun. He learns in no time how to order ice cream in Danish...And some other phrases as well. It was a great trip. I called Donna the minute I returned and said I would be up to see her in 2 days. She sounded great...and was on morphine...oh dear. The next day her husband called me and said if I wanted to talk to her I had better come immediatly. I did. When I arrived at the house there were all these women from the Boundary water trip plus several more I had never met. They all knew me...I was surprised by this fact. It was such a privledge to witness her leaving. She wasn't coherent most of the time but I went to her and told her I was here with her. She asked about my trip. I rubbed her feet. She drifted in and out sometimes speaking about things that surfaced when one is in the process of dying.

It was midnight and she wanted to say goodnight to her son. We all went to the living room. Some of us and myself went outside to look at the night sky. Before I left her bedsidè I kissed her forhea!and drank in the smell of her...it was a sweet smell. Her brow was sweaty and my lips were wet. I said ... I love you so much Donna. She returned the sentiment. Perhaps she died before the door was closed with her son beside her. She never spoke. He talked. He realised she had died. Donna's husband came outside and told us all. A friend and I picked black eyed Susan's and brought them to lay on her body. It was so interesting to discover that it was only her body that was there. She was no longer occupying her body. She had disappeared.

I have always been terrified of speaking in public but I wrote a short letter to her and decided to read it at her service. There were so many people. It was held close to the Swan Refuge site where her family had planted a Burr Oak tree to place under it her ashes. Many people spoke and her husband was videoing it all. After about an hour (yikes...people give kinda long death speaches)...it was my turn. I had a white long simple dress on that day. As I began all these swallow tail butterflies started to glitter around me. I was unaware of their presence..her husband told me later...I talked briefly about Donnas 'quilt', a metaphor for the beautiful people whose life she had touched...especially mine. That quilt like the ones that the slaves would make showing them the road to freedom...the quilt that would always keep me warm and filled with information on being courageous being resilient being the amazing person you learned how to become.

I ALWAYS see yellow swallowtails in my yard. People always comment about how many other are. One might see 5 or 6 flying around. I always thought they must have their chrysalises in the big maple in the field in the back of our house...but finding your website this morning gave me much pause. I had to write about my wonderful friend and yellow swallowtail butterflies.

Charles, Madison, NJ: I love butterflies and I love to hear and create Spoonerisms. As a Spoonerism "butterfly" becomes "flutterby." I think that it is a perfect Spoonerism because that is precisely what butterflies do.

Jessie, Bellingham, MA: A four year old boy, who I had in my Pre K classroom where I work, recently lost his life in a drowning accident. When I first heard that a four year old died close to where I live, I was horrified. Then to discover the identity of who he was, was shockingly devastating. He still had some of his clothes and a stuffed animal in his cubby. His face has been circulating in my mind since I found out four days ago.

Yesterday, while I was outside in the playground at my work, a butterfly zoomed by my face so closely I nearly ducked to get out of the way. I didn't think anything of it at first, but having not seen a butterfly at my work since I started, and my mother's book fresh in my mind, I thought, could this be him? It was such a quick occurrence, was more of a fleeting thought, and then I went on with my day.

Today, the day of his funeral, the air was heavy with grief and his presence wafted around us like smoke from a campfire, getting into all our senses. While I circulated around the paved playground making the rounds at work, a gathering of students inevitably came and held my hands, and a chainlike formation extended out to several friends on either side of me. As we walked, we suddenly came to an abrupt stop as a small, orange and black butterfly fluttered around myself and the children I was with, and then more who gathered to see the precious sight. The butterfly landed at our feet and flew in a tight formation near us, close enough to touch. It remained near us and after we walked on, it stopped us again and one girl cupped it in her hands and then carefully let it loose. I felt like yesterdays fly by was to get my attention and then I clearly felt this boy's spirit as today's butterfly engaged us with its eagerness to be in our personal space. I wasn't looking for a sign.

I felt like once I read The Butterfly Club, a personal communication line with God had been established, and I recognized His language in a way I wouldn't have before. The sign of the butterfly gave me a delicate feeling of peace, as soft as the flutter of wings that cut through the pain of the loss of this beautiful little boy, who I had the privilege of knowing for a short time.

Mistee, Mount Vernon, WA: The butterfly has become the symbol of friendship and hope in our circle of friends knit together in love and remembrance of our dear friend, Nancy Allen. Nancy was full of life and spirit, and the butterfly reminds us of that renewed life and transformation. In Nancy's final days here, the butterfly began to morph into its fullest beauty as the details and symbolic nature of life and spirit came full circle.

In October 2014, as Nancy and some friends walked along the beach together, a beautiful butterfly lit on her shoulder, and stayed with her through the entire walk. It would fly and flutter all around her, chasing her down the beach, and again lighting on her shoulder. She laughed and claimed it as her own.

Pressing forward through a battle with cancer and a valiant fight to continue living, laughing, and loving, Nancy's time here on earth was drawing to a close. One of her friends from that beach visit sent sunflowers to her hospital room. The friend requested the florist send something full and happy, as if picked from a meadow. When the flowers were delivered to Nancy's hospital room, the arrangement was highlighted with a single beautiful butterfly. The florist added the butterfly on her own intuition without knowing the significance of the butterfly from Nancy's beach walk.

Nancy loved the butterfly. She was surrounded by her dear loved ones and close friends holding her hand and praying with her as she began life's transition from earth to eternity. In the moments following her final breath, a butterfly symbol was quietly placed on her door from the hospital staff.

Her daughter was given the butterfly from the sunflowers, and from the door, to keep in remembrance of her beautiful mom, and to remind her that she was always alive in spirit. After Nancy's memorial service, live painted lady butterflies were released to symbolize the love. joy, and time with our sweet friend will always be remembered. One of the friends that had been with Nancy on the beach has already been visited with a butterfly blessing while on a hike shortly following Nancy's passing. Little blue butterflies fluttered along her feet during the entire hike.

Nancy has eternity with her Creator and Savior to live, laugh, and love. We rejoice in knowing we will see her again in heaven, and it will be forever!

Cris, Jackson Heights, NY: Two years ago a friend and coworker passed away from Cancer just weeks before her retirement. I was sad that she was no longer with us but grateful she was not suffering any more. One afternoon I came out of a building and this beautiful butterfly with a black body, white spots on its wing tips and an orange strip on each side of the body kept flying around me. It wafted over a small fence and returned to me. Then to my unexpected joy it landed on my shoulder. It stayed there a few moments, then took off again. I started to walk away and it came back and landed on my shoulder again. A passing gentleman was kind enough to snap a picture and emailed it to me.

I had on a small flower print shirt, but I don't believe the butterfly couldn't tell the difference. I would like to believe it was my friend's way of letting me she was at peace and it was okay. I felt uplifted all the way home.

Marge Jesberger, Chicopee, MA: Winging It

While walking in the park one day
In the merry, merry month of May,
I was taken by surprise
By some velvety butterflies.
They were flitting all around.
Some even touched the ground.
They had multicolored wings
and black spots with red rings
Lovely shades of orange and yellow,
a purple one sat on my elbow
. They landed on a bush or two,
Then left without much adieu.
I think that I shall never see
A prettier sight than their flight,
Spreading their wings, wild and free.

Jennifer, Saline, MI: In July 2015 after a long year after a stroke My Mom passed away. I was there when she took her last breath. Bitter sweet. Each day after a butterfly of various size and color would alight near me. It was a very noticeably sign to me of her. Week or so later my eldest daughter mentioned she was noticing butterflies stopping near her. I had not talked about my sightings till after she brought it up.

Mom's close friend picked out her urn decorated with beautiful colorful butterflies. Previous to our sightings of varies species and colors of the butterfly.

I began looking into the meaning behind butterfly. It helped my daughter and me heal from our loss by knowing she had a peaceful beautiful transformation from this life.

Kevin, Lisle, IL: When I was 17, I would go to church on my own. There were times when I felt like I didn't need to go or I just did not want to go at all. There were also times when I would just drive around for roughly an hour so my parents thought I was attending church; it was all about making them happy.

With that being said, my story begins on a Sunday night. I drove to church and didn't want to go in but I forced myself to walk in and take a seat. I recall talking to God and saying "I'm here God" and for some reason I looked up towards the center of the ceiling and saw a giant, beautiful glowing white butterfly!!! The butterfly literally appeared in the center of the church ceiling and gracefully flapped its wings towards a light fixture that was hanging down. The butterfly flew around the light a few times and then vanished. This entire time of witnessing the butterfly, my whole body was full of total bliss and peace. Immediately after the butterfly vanished into the light fixture, I looked around the church to see if anyone else saw what I saw. Nobody in the church was even tilting their head towards the light fixture. It was that moment when I realized that I was the only one that saw it and God placed the butterfly there for me. This beautiful encounter literally lasted 10 seconds at the most. However, it seemed much longer. My soul felt rejuvenated and I was excited about life.

I am a sinner and extremely far from perfect. However, I believe God showed me his love and compassion that Sunday night because I reached out to him and told him "I am here". To this day, I regularly think of that moment and reflect how I need to make a positive difference in the world because that is why God placed me on this Earth. God Bless!

Donald, Boyertown, PA: In 2013 Nancy and I went on a cruise in the Caribbean. We went on lots of day excursions and lots of times we ran across butterfly farms or they would just fly by or be in a store front as someone's creation. Long before we took the cruise she and I would talk about communication with each other after death.

Early in a following year I learned that Nancy had stage three brain tumor. After getting the second opinion we went to John Hopkins for surgery and approximately thirty days later followed with chemo and radiation. On October 28, 2015 two weeks after our 48 year of marriage I lost her. These events inspired me to write a poem:

Wings
Butterfly, butterfly, fly away
I must leave you behind and travel today
To my new home just a short time away
I will never forget the steps back home
When I earn my wings I will fly back home
With faith and hope and love I'll bring
From gods house our heavenly king
Butterfly never fly alone

Which in turn resulted in these events. Having the family lunch after the funeral to take food the longtime friends a crossed the street on returning back through the same door minutes later yes I found a yellow and black butterfly.

I also was a longtime bowler spending time back bowling with family when putting on the shoes yes a butterfly in my left shoe Nancy was left handed. We lived in a log home which she hep me to build in 1985 I was working on the front repair and window which she was helping before she got ill I would make hand signs for water food and simply plugging in the electric cord standing at the window where I always would make the hand signs I said I guess if I wanted anything today I would be doing it myself turned the corner to go inside and what did I see yes there was a yellow butterfly in case you don't know the expression of what happens once happens 3 times has been with us since we got married in October 14, 1967.

Tonie, Chicago, IL: I love butterflies.

I love to watch them and how they flutter all around. So graceful, full of colors. I have several tattoos of them.

I got the monarch in my Dad's memory when he passed away. Another in my Mom's memory when she passed.

Every time I am out in our backyard, (the place where my parents loved to be), there is a monarch butterfly that flies around and has landed on my hand, cheek several times !! Some of my family members have seen this happen. Seems like it knows when I am outside in our backyard. I like to take it as a "Hello" from Heaven above.

Butterflies are free to fly ~

May they fly forever free

Diane, Grants Pass, OR: I have raised my grandson from birth. His mother took him back for a brief time and shortly after we got him back I was on our back porch and a butterfly landed on my hand. It stayed there and I carried it inside to show our boy. I then went back outside and it flew away. I always have thought that was a special gift to let us know it would be okay.

Then several years later in a new home we were out in the front yard and my grandson now a teenager was standing by a garden and a butterfly flew around and landed on his hand for a moment. I don't know what it was for but I love the precious gift that both butterflies gave us by letting us touch them.

Raymond Teruya Sr., Honolulu, HI: My younger sister Amy passed away on Jan. 7,2016. She was at Queens Hospital waiting for a Liver transplant . About 3 weeks before she died the doctor told her there was no match for the transplant. She told the doctor to remove all the tubes that was keeping her alive. About a week after her passing my son and I were doing a repair job on my friend's exterior bathroom door. While my son was cutting the bottom portion of the door a Monarch Butterfly came flying about 18" from my face. It flew for about 45 seconds before flying to the garden next door. I believe there is life after death. My sister Amy came as a Butterfly to say goodbye. My sister Amy was a soft-spoken, kind and generous person. She passed away at the age of 58 years old.

Colonie, NY: I was raised, largely by my grandparents, especially my grandmothers. When, my Grandma died in 1991, it broke my heart, and my life. I have always been a very contemplating child. I continue to be in another world, most of the time. It's difficult to connect with this reality of suffering and pain that we humans continue to perpetuate it, like we have a collective death wish!

Butterflies, and the natural world connect me with hope, and the desire to keep trying. I want to help people heal from pain and suffering. I want to help people appreciate their life, and life as a whole. To feel, unconditional love for all life, like I do. I don't know why, but I know this is my truth. I cannot love everybody but I feel like I do live in a light of love. We all do. I'm good at being alone, but not good at going along with the group and fitting in. I can't be forced or coerced into lying, or being untruthful. Many people don't understand this but it makes me physically ill to be untrue to what I know, is right.

I feel I got this from my Grandmother: living in this unconditional love; living by my heart; my instinct. Hate and violence make me ill. I do not understand why or how, people hurt each other. I've struggled with this throughout my life, and struggled to reach people who don't understand, who don't feel empathy towards others. Empathy permeates my world and my life.

Butterflies have been part of my life since I was a child. They embody the beauty and freedom of flight, love, and life. Real beauty is love, and the freedom of the butterfly, and it is within us all!

We can change our lives! Look at the butterfly: a caterpillar transforms into a cocoon. It starts as a caterpillar and trans-forms: changes form into a beautiful butterfly that flaps her wings and rises above her life as a caterpillar who can only crawl!

We are butterflies and flowers! We are beauty! We are love! We are freedom! I am freedom. You are freedom! Freedom is beyond selfishness. It is realizing that we are all One. "You can take it or leave it, you don't have to believe it!" In the immortal words of Ziggy Marley!

Looking at nature, and natural systems, we can see it is true. We see the ability of nature to survive, to transform and to be free, of desire, ego, and all the prisons that come with it: internal and external!

We are all a butterfly!

Emily A, San Antonio, TX: It was the night before my 30th birthday. I was having an awful day. Hadn't eaten or slept due to unfortunate circumstances. I was cleaning a commercial building and went to throw out the trash. As I walked out, I spotted a monarch butterfly on the floor. I picked him up and he flew out of my hands and landed on the wall. I tried again and this time he let me touch him. I brought him inside and he stayed on my hand. I began to sweep the floor and he was still there. I placed him on my shoulder and he stayed with me the whole night and on my drive home. I talked to him and asked if he was my grandpa. He opened his wings. I put him on my canvas on my wall when I got home. I took pictures to keep that memory. The next day he was gone. I thought maybe it was my grandpa watching me. He died on my 8th birthday. I miss him everyday. I think he was comforting me and telling me everything was going to be ok. I will never forget this day.

James B., Lagrange, IL: This early evening after remodling all day while my wife watched our toddler, She came home with dinner and i was going to take over while she relaxed and ate and instead of plopping in front of the tv which is what I was going to do, I decided to take him to the local park to burn off the last of his energy and it was the most beautiful summer evening with a golden sun and low humidity.

We were running around a field and baseball diamond and out of nowhere a beautiful butterfly lands near us. We were the only ones in field. The butterfly kept flying around us and landing nearby. For a second I lost track of it and thought it flew off. I looked down and it was on my shorts leg. Just calmly stayed there for a while. My toddler walked up and we admired it's beauty. It flew up and around us and kept landing nearby for us to look at. We were on the second base / short stop of the diamond. Eventually we walked back to the wagon and came home. One of those magical summer evenings with at gentle breeze and warm sun.

We came home and an hour later I'm talking to to my wife and tell her what we did at the park and I mentioned our encounter with the butterfly. She paused and mouth open, said when and butterfly stays near you for a while, it's a loved one visiting and checking on you from the other side. I put it together and realized, I don't think a butterfly ever landed on me before today. This was a big sucker and I never thought to brush it off. It felt normal. I know it was mom visiting us and watching her grandson running around and playing on a summer night like we used to do as kids. She was there today and it was great spending a few fleeting moments with her.

I'm a little emotional after the whole thing. I looked it up and many beleive butterflys visit those who didn't get to say goodbye. My mom passed away almost two years ago and this exact weekend two years ago I visited her in the hospital and brought her a blue gender reveal cupcake to tell her we were having a boy. It was the one thing that kept her figting cancer through her body for much longer than she was supposed to make it as she wanted to meet her grand baby. She passed a couple of months before our son was born and I didn't make it back to Detroit from Chicago on time to say goodbye. She passed as I was driving across states.

Crazy thing is she was a short stop baseball player on the 1950s and 60s and the butterfly we saw was a Red Admiral...Vanessa Atalanta. I looked it up and Wikipedia said this under etymology..."Atalanta is a figure in Greek mythology, a strong yet feminine woman who faces obstacles and backlash for refusing to follow gender norms". That was her to a T! I'm usually pretty skeptical, but tonight was magical.

Manisha Sharma, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, INDIA: This Monarch Butterfly has a story which connects my soul with that of my spiritual guru & mentor Dr. Wayne Dyer. A story hard to explain & believe yet for me its a living truth....

All my 42 years of my life I have never noticed a butterfly though I am sure they existed around me before. One fine day around August end last year, a beautiful Monarch butterfly appeared before me outside my office shortly after Dr Dyer's death. I have just finished reading his book 'Wishes Fulfilled' which impacted me greatly and made me feel that my search for a Guru has ended. I realised that I have all the answers within me and do not need to search for them outside.

His death felt as if someone close and dear has departed and I was upset. This butterfly appeared like a miracle and circled around me at the entrance of my office forcing me to notice it. That very moment a close friend of mine in Mumbai also saw a similar Monarch butterfly in her house on 10th floor and called me. After pondering for some time,we both realised that this could be a sign from none other than Dr.Dyer with whom we both connected a lot and who was very much on our mind due to his death.

However it was not a standalone incident...The magic continues till date....This beautiful butterfly frequently appears before me in the rarest of places and in most unusual ways for eg. outside my car, in a crowded street or on a highway while driving & It never fails to capture my attention. I strongly believe its a Miracle from heaven...so this time when I saw it I thought of clicking a photo...and to my surprise it sweetly allowed me to do so.

Dr.Dyer was reminded of his late friend Jack when a Monarch came and stepped on his finger while he went on a walk one day, which he photographed and later put it on cover of his book Inspiration..Similarly this monarch always reminds me of him and seeing it around brings a very comforting and pleasant feeling .Thank you Dr. Dyer for making me believe that though dear ones may go out of this physical world, their soul is eternal & those whom we love are just a thought away....

Vincent Kordyback, Vancouver, British Columbia, CANADA: Butterfly

A butterfly, the weight of light,
A twisting, turning, graceful flight;
As if in colour nature sings,
Slow motion beat of light in wings.

Alights upon a flower... blends,
As petals on the flower ends,
Then up, in zig and zag and soar,
A flying flower it's once more.

Alone, so frail upon the breeze,
On wings a craft of nature's tease.
A butterfly, the name belies,
For it's a flower in the sky.

Tara, Greenwich, CT: I have always been fond of butterflies just like many others. As a little girl I spent hours chasing butterflies and having them land on me. Many childhood videos show me and the butterflies. Now being 26 and a preschool teacher every year we order caterpillars- watch the process and free our butterflies. This year went well and all the butterflies flew away instantly except for one. He stayed on the ground. After a few moments I picked the butterfly up,well, he willingly climed onto my fingers and I placed him on a flower bush. As I was walking away I turned back and noticed he had fallen and could not get back up. He never once tried to fly. I let him climb back into my hand and thought "hmm maybe he's just not ready" and placed him back in the butterfly garden case and put new flowers in. He ate like a champ.

I tried a few more times to let him go but he would just fall to the ground. I decided to take the butterfly home and keep him safe until either nature took its course or he flew. He had the life in that butterfly garden. Fresh fruits, flowers, branches and a nice window view. Daily I would take him outside and see if he could fly. He only fell each time and would have a hard time climbing through the grass.

Flash forward two weeks.

I knew his time was coming. He wasn't eating well drinking much, and just stayed staring at the sun. My heart was breaking I knew he did not belong in that butterfly garden cage anymore but I didn't know what to do. I decided lets go back outside and try. For an hour this little guy flew from my finger straight to the ground. I would pick him up and start all over again. Encouraging him my best "you have try a little harder". After an hour he flew up and landed right on my shoulder. I picked him Up again and outstretched my arm as far as I could. He looked at the sun, stepped back and flew. Flew over the shed. I was amazed. A few minutes later he came back. He flew right back over he shed and landed near me. I almost decided to take him back. What if he was tired? What if this was all he could do today? I then saw him spread his wings in the sun for a moment and he flew away over the shed again. He never came back. I will always wonder about him, worry the night is too cold for him (the night I let him go) but I know it's where he belonged. Free.

Gwen, Kamloops, British Columbia, CANADA: When my husband's mother died at 97 there was a graveside service for her on Saltspring Island where she had lived for many years. The family gathered feeling the grief of losing a mother, grandmother, great grandmother and friend. She had been an artist, a single mother and a vitally competent woman. She had a mind of her own, a person who made an impression on you.

Her coffin had a lovely arrangement of her favourite flowers. As the minister said his final word and the coffin lowered into the grave a beautiful butterfly swirled out of the flower arrangement and disappeared. My sister-in-law who had been the lead family member in making sure Mom was well cared for and I gasped, few of the others seem to have noticed.

Everytime I see a butterfly I think of her with love, and thus feel her presence. Wherever her soul now abides I hope it has the freedom and beauty of that butterfly.

Richard, Glendale, NY: My wife was fond of rainbows, and would always take time to stop and stare. She passed in April one afternoon in 2015 after a long illness but it was a sudden passing and I'm told she felt no pain. But she didn't even have a chance to say goodbye.

Myself and my son and daughter made the funeral arrangements a day after at the local funeral home and everyone in a somber mood of course. Now we always had heard over the years that sometimes loved ones will find a way to send us a message after they passed, so we were looking for some evidence I suppose of that. A couple of minor things happened around the house while I was getting ready for the funeral but nothing that you could definetly say was a 'sign' or a 'message'. For instance I found a small wooden cross that we had purchased together at the Vatican in Rome during a vacation. I wasn't looking for it and didn't even remember that we had it until it fell off of her night table. It was behind her jewelry box and I moved it so I could get something else.

However my daughter on her drive home from making the arrangements on Long Island this afternoon called me afterwards to say that Mom must have been happy with the arrangements because she made me drive through a double rainbow that stretched across the highway just before I got home.... It was one of four rainbows sited that day on Long Island, the news said it was because of 'unusual weather conditions' but we know it was Mom saying goodbye.

One final note my granddaughter was very close to her and played and colored together all the time, My wife would read her nursery rhymes and story book when ever they were together. Now my grandaughter is very young but always was outspoken just like her grandmother. A few weeks after her passing my granddaughter was walking through my daughter's kitchen and without stopping passed a remark that sounded exactly like something my wife would say. She said you've worn that shirt already this week talking to me complete with the same tone of voice. She's made statements like this completely out of the blue several times. So we think that there's a possibility she possesses some of grandma's sense of humor.?

Renee Lee, Macon, GA: I went to the cemetery to place flowers on my mother's grave. I was looking around at other graves when a monarch butterfly landed on my thigh and just stayed there. I started wondering what sign this was and started to believe a type of spiritual sign. I have never forgotten that moment.

Linda, London, Ontario CANADA: My mom passed in 2006. She chose to be at home and I was with her the last year of her life until the end. It was a very difficult time...hard to see her waste away... Yet there were so many magical moments. Mom straddled the fence when it came to believing in heaven and life after death. I would tell her not to be afraid.. that she was going to a beautiful place.. no more pain.. that she would be dancing in fields of wild flowers. I asked her to please if she could..to give me a sign that she was ok and that I was right. I said she had to make it so it was "right in my face"..I didnt want to miss it or question it.

About 3 months after she passed I was sitting with my daughter on the patio outside my mom's home and this beautiful big monarch came and landed on my knee. It sat there for some time. It was beautiful. My daughter said "oh my God mom"! All of a sudden it flew up into my face.. I could feel its wings beating against my nose, then flew over my head and away. I knew it was without a doubt mom's sign.

At age 61 I got my first tattoo...a monarch butterfly flying towards my heart.

Jennifer, Blenheim, Ontario CANADA: I went to visit a Psychic and asked her what signs my Mom sends. She said a Butterfly, a monarch looking one but with blue on it. When I arrived home after this reading I was walking up my driveway and felt something flying around my head it landed on a bush beside me. It was an Orange monarch with blue on it. I have never seen one with nor have people I have told this story to. It flew around my head some more and landed so I could take a picture then continued around my head as I walked to the door. I went out a half hour later and it was still there but soon disappeared. I have not seen it again. I know for a fact that was my Mom saying Hi!!

Katrina, Albuquerque, NM: November of 2015 it was my turn to have a Bible study devotional with approximately 20 ladies. Weeks before I had Butterflies on my mind. I went to my local Christian bookstore and found some Butterfly Gospel Tracts showing the life of a butterfly. I knew that's what I needed to buy. Then I went to Walmart and found beautiful butterfly ornaments all colors. I bought a bunch of them to give to the ladies along with the butterfly Gospel Tracts. They loved them. I ended up ordering more butterfly Tracts along with butterfly ornaments and giving them away to everyone around Christmas time. I found some really pretty butterflies at the Dollar Tree and continue to bless others with them. It's so cool to see their eyes light up and the smiles on their faces. Today I went to another Bible study and the leader mentioned the butterfly once again. I'm going to compete in a speech contest next month, guess what I'm going to talk about, yep the life of a butterfly and how our own lives are similar. I'm doing research on the butterfly and came across your site. I will keep you updated on how my speech affects others. Thank you and God bless!

Chris Temouskos, Melbourne, Victoria, AUSTRALIA: My Dream was to smell a Flower at a Park. The Butterfly was by my side. A true inspiring Story.

As a delightful and outgoing young man from Melbourne, Australia, I was experiencing a fun life with a great ability to travel around the world and be very happy. Out of nowhere, I experienced a deep neurological malfunction that was slowing my life down. Neurosurgery took place. Even though I knew my brain was mechanically adjusted using surgical tools, it felt like I was constantly getting electrocuted and as the time went by, the voltage was increasing. I didn't' like or enjoy my FEELING at all. I remained like that for over a year. I was FEELING so uncomfortable to the point I couldn't' take it anymore. My goal was to wake up. I stood in front of a mirror where I looked at myself and said, this is not me. I asked myself to fully wake up and get back to life. I got myself in this situation and now I had to get myself out. The thought that was born in a very strong way was: Story, Story, Story. There was one method I had to try: SELF EXPRESSION. I had to express myself to myself with a Story that only made sense to me in order to tune myself up. Another way I understood SELF EXPRESSION was to use my imagination to tell myself a Story, and do my best to act it out. By working on a personal story and keeping myself busy with time, I created comfortable time for self to recharge my battery of life. By pushing the PLAY button on my Journey park story (back to basics, self expression) and supporting it to the best of my ability, I remained focused and kept it private to keep the momentum going and not disrupt my thoughts. Had I explained to anyone what I was doing would've been like pressing the PAUSE button and this would've interrupted my GOAL. Mind and body required lots of time to relax and rewire. Waiting for that time to go by seemed never ending. It was the perfect time to do something different to change my thoughts about myself through self expression and create a new feeling about my life. The book : Self Expression, is showing a job I needed to do to rewire my mind and body. I used my imagination to create a Story making sure myself is acting on the Story so the Story rebuilds my life. Think It. Talk It. Work It. Act It.

Gena, Trinity, FL: My story is about my strong faith in the Lord and how I have asked for a sign of a butterfly from him! I was hanging out with a friend I knew I should not have been I asked Jesus to send me a sign of a yellow butterfly if I should let go of this friendship! About 10 minutes later one flew right into my face and wouldn't go away for a while. Now I'm in a relationship and I want more out of it. I asked Jesus again to send me a yellow butterfly if "we will be ok in the future" it was a few days and one flew right to me. I have never had one land on me which a lot of people have that's so cool! I have asked the Lord many times for a sign of any color butterfly most of the time he answers. All of your stories are so inspirational and amazing! God bless everyone!

Raymond, Honolulu, HI: My younger sister Amy was a kind and humble person. She spent the last 6 months at the ICU ward at the Queens Medical Center. She had a liver infection and was waiting for a liver transplant operation. There wasn't a match a available and she was given a lot of pain relief medicines. My sister decided that there was no hope to prolonged her life in constant pain. So she gave her doctor permission to discontinue her life. She passed away on January 7, 2016. We had her cremated and held a funeral service at the Okinawan Temple on Feb 13, 2016.

My sister Sherri and brother Randy scattered part of her ashes on top of Diamond Head crater. About a week later, my son and I were helping my friend to adjust a sliding door for an exterior bathroom. As my son was sawing the door,a monarch butterfly came flying within 18 inches of my face. I knew then it was Amy and I said, Amy you came to say you are alright. After a couple of seconds she flew back to the neighbor's yard.

I've seen this with my own eyes and now I believe that butterflies are a sign from God that there is a life after death.

Roz, Houston, TX: My Mother passed away November 20, 2009. As we were leaving her house to have a private graveside service, a beautiful Monarch butterfly fluttered around over our heads, then fluttered away.

After Mother's services were over, each of us took a flower from the wreath that was covering her coffin. Out of nowhere, another Monarch butterfly appeared, not a coincidence, it was Mother, still watching over us. AMEN.

Rita, Elmwood Park, NJ: I lost my father on Thursday, November 19th. He was a very special and kind man. Ever since, during Thursdays in November and December we were visited by white and black butterfly. It appears inside the house, stays for a day of two and vanishes. I have shared the pictures with my friends and relatives. On the 7th day after visiting the cemetery and coming back home the butterfly was still there. My son picked it up and fed it the sugar water - it never flew away. It just sat on his finger and let me take pictures.

I didn't see it for about two weeks in January. But than during the huge snowstorm that hit Northeast on Saturday, I was remembering my dad and my heart ached so much from not having him in my life anymore, I was looking in the window at the falling snow the butterfly flew right at me. Last night the butterfly was sitting on the paper napkin by me while I had my dinner. This morning it was still there and we both had mango for breakfast.

It is hard to believe, but I have all the pictures to prove to myself first of all, that dad is with me and always will be and he cares so much and sends his little messenger. I wish I could share all my pictures with you.

Inspirational Stories

Stories Contributed by Our Visitors: January 2016 to Present (Newest Items at Top of List)

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Stories Contributed by Our Visitors:
January 2016 to Present
(Newest Items at Top of List)