Knowing I wanted to start this blog also came with figuring out a name. I didn’t want a name that would pigeon hole it into one category, I wanted something not only meaningful but something that could take on a whole new meaning if necessary.
A few weeks ago I tragically lost one of my nieces. She loved butterflies… The day before her funeral her older sister painted several butterflies to spell out her name for part of the memorial. As I sat with her and watched her, the act of her painting and the butterflies took on a whole new meaning for me.
Butterflies can sometimes symbolize new beginnings and starting over. Their evolution of life is amazing if you think about it. They transform themselves from one being into something amazingly beautiful. I think my niece constantly struggled with her identity and wanted to transform, but when she found herself unable to. So she took her own life.
Watching her sister paint through the tragedy and pain of losing a sibling in order to honor her sister reminded me that we can always find beauty. Even if it’s in the most terribly tragic places. The name hit me and stuck with me… I asked her permission to use the it and she graciously agreed.
If I have learned anything over the past few years I have learned not to take life for granted and I have learned to find beauty daily and not to focus on the caterpillar…
Painting Butterflies 