Wendy Willow

Well actually, the butterfly chose me. According to Chinese belief, butterflies are souls from those who have passed on, reassuring loved ones that all is well. It was a butterfly that appeared to me a couple of days after my husband passed away and it was butterflies I saw in abundance all that first year. 

Symbolic? Yes. Absolutely. Spirit has a way of placing her gifts in our path, for understanding, for support, for learning. If we are open to receiving these gifts, then they bring comfort. If not, we miss them. It’s easy to get caught up in a downward spiral and close up emotionally. 

My advice for anyone yearning for a gift, a sign from the Other Side is to remain open. And be patient. 

One summer evening, a few weeks after my husband’s passing I was out walking. I had seen butterflies earlier on. Strange ones that were not native to my region, exquisite in their stillness, with an otherworldly aura as if their sole (soul?) mission was to wait for my notice. 

On this particular evening I looked up toward the sky to catch the last rays of a setting sun. Out of nowhere a butterfly appeared - quite far up. I was not expecting to see anything more than the sky painted a beautiful rosy glow.

Suddenly, the butterfly’s wings changed to silver. I know the fading light had something to do with it, but silver? Not grey or dark purple or mud? 

Very strange to be up so high in the first place and then to transform from yellow/orange to silver. Another evening the same transformation happened to a bat. 

Yes, plenty. Feathers in my path (that’s a common one for most). But this was a turkey feather reminding me of a time when I saw a wild turkey in my driveway. I ran in the house, grabbed my camera and followed closely behind while snapping its pic and looking like a complete fool. Hubby and I laughed over that all afternoon. I’m sure when I stumbled across this feather at the top of my driveway, it was telling me to remember the good times. The happy times. I never saw another turkey feather after that.

It was tough, very tough, but with baby steps, with reaching out to others trying to come to terms with losing a loved one, giving into tears when they happened, and finding hope in knowing my husband was still around somewhere, I survived. I grew spiritually and developed a deeper sense of compassionate for others. I learned to find joy in the moment and not take anything (particularly good health) for granted.