By Joe Mazzella
I lost my mom to cancer when she was only 55 years old. I still miss her every single day. I feel bad that she didn’t get to see her grandchildren grow up. I remember once when my young daughter was asking about her being in Heaven, I said that she could still visit perhaps riding invisible on the back of a butterfly. And just as I said that a single butterfly flew between us.
Well since that day I see so many butterflies that fly close to my face before floating away on the breeze. I always smile and say “Hi” to mom when they do. Still, it is harder in the winter when the butterflies are gone. I miss seeing them and being reminded of my mom’s love when I do. My daughter even bought me some wooden butterflies that I hung on my walls so I could still be reminded of my mom’s loving spirit even in the depths of winter.
This winter, however, had been especially tough. It wasn’t just the dark, the bitter cold, and the heavy ice and snowstorms that hit us over and over. During this time my mom’s older sister, my Aunt Charlotte passed away after living 100 years. She had been a great source of love and support for me after my Mom died and I wrote her every week for many years. Now she was gone too and I felt a great loneliness. I wasn’t ready to go on without her yet.
That loneliness was hurting my heart as I went out today. When suddenly, an early visitor appeared. It was a butterfly. Now I knew it wasn’t time yet. They weren’t supposed to return for weeks, but there she was reminding me that even in the darkest, winter’s days of my life I was loved and watched over from above. I thanked God for that single butterfly and said “Hi” to mom again with a smile on my face and a heart bursting with Love. I asked her to give Aunt Charlotte a hug from me. And I knew that one day we would all be together again with God in a place of never-ending Love, Joy, and Light.
