October 6, 2023
Butterflies have been part of Nancy’s life ever since she was little, and her father Paul painted a monarch butterfly on her bedroom wall — orange and black with a tree that had golden branches.
“I was just a baby,” she recalled, “but through the years, my parents would give me cards and trinkets with butterflies. I love to look at them and always enjoy taking pictures of them.”
Paul died two years ago, and last summer, Nancy and her son Thomas planted a butterfly bush in his memory. It immediately began attracting beautiful butterflies.
The spring before he passed, she found a monarch butterfly on the wall that had been damaged and wasn’t moving, so she put it in a little box. After Paul died, Nancy’s husband returned home and brought the butterfly back to Connecticut, and she placed it with a final letter she wrote to her beloved father, as a reminder of the cherished memories he gave her over the years.
Nancy even decorated her guest room by painting the walls a marshmallow peach. She found a beautiful white bedspread with peach and gold butterflies to complement the other butterfly accessories.
“I had told my dad we would paint a canvas together on the big wall behind the bed, but it never came to pass,” she said.
Butterflies are a symbol of transformation and hope. Hospices worldwide hold butterfly releases to help people who are grieving remember their lost loved ones. Throughout history, many cultures have believed that a deceased person will send a butterfly to assure loved ones they’re in a place of peace and joy. And there’s an Irish tradition that says seeing a butterfly after someone has died is an assurance they’re enjoying eternal happiness.
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Always be open to signs that your loved one may be sending to you.
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