Why Butterflies?

Butterflies are the symbol for The Compassionate Friends

When we went to visit the cemetery where Paul is buried, there were many butterflies on the flowers next to his headstone. It was a beautiful sight to behold and eased the sadness and reality of why we were there.

The piece below was from an article I found.

Since early times, the butterfly has symbolized renewed life. The caterpillar signifies life here on earth; the cocoon, death, and the butterfly, the emergence of the dead into a new, beautiful and freer existence. Frequently, the butterfly is seen with the word "Nika", which means victory. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross movingly tells of seeing butterflies drawn all over the walls of the children's dormitories in the World War II concentration camps. Since Elisabeth believes in the innate intuitiveness of children, she concludes that these children knew their fate and were leaving us a message. Many members of the Compassionate Friends embrace the butterfly as a symbol and a sign of hope to them that their children are living in another dimension with greater beauty and freedom which is a comforting thought to many.

The Sun's Rays

Jeff had read or heard somewhere that when you see the sun's rays in the sky, that those rays are the souls of the departed ascending into heaven. Such a comforting thought.

Quotes and Verses from the South Suburban Chapter of TCF Newsletter

If their song is to continue, we must do the singing.

Memories help keep close to us the times that mean the most to us.

Grief and pain are the price we humans have to pay for the love and total commitment we have for another person. The more we love, the more we are hurt when we lose the object of our love. But if we are honest with ourselves, would we have it any other way?

SOMETIMES

Sometimes something clicks,
And with a tear
Rememberance of the pain
And the loneliness
Flood the heart.

Sometimes something clicks,
And with a smile
Rememberance of the love
And the laughter
Flood the senses.

And there are times
When nothing clicks at all,
and a voice echoes
Through the emptimess
And numbness
Never finding the person
Who used to fill that space.

And sometimes
The most special time of all,
A feeling ripples through your
Body, heart and soul
That tells you
That person never left you,
And he's right there with you
Through it all.


--Kristen Hansen,
TCF, Kentfield, CA