My Mother’s Day Guest

Have I ever told you about my most memorable Mother’s Day? I’ve celebrated Mother’s Day throughout my life with the collective matriarchs of our individual families: my grandmothers, mother, sister, mother-in-law, aunties, cousins, and daughter-in-law as well as other family members. This holiday has been revered with numerous delectable meals, family gatherings, cards, store-purchased presents and home-spun gifts along with heart to heart conversations. My most memorable Mother’s Day was the one with a special guest.

Even though this is my forty-third Mother’s Day, there is one particular year which stands out. As a mom who has a child who is no longer physically with us, my first Mother’s Day minus our son was not on my list of top ten things to experience. If you could imagine (don’t), I felt somewhat bereft of joy as I awoke that morning.

It promised to be a quiet day. I was thankful to be able to relish being with two of my favorite people – my husband and our daughter. Following our breakfast, we meandered out to the deck for our morning coffee or tea ritual.

Our Guest on Mother’s Day

The sun was deliciously warm as we basked in the beauty of the moment. My husband was the first to receive the visitor. A small brown and orange butterfly landed on his slipper! The little critter lingered for some time. A long last, it fluttered over to my bare toes. The winged wonder tickled my shin as it gingerly climbed higher. When I held out my hand, it graciously accepted. I brought it closer to my eyes. It appeared to be tasting, perhaps kissing my skin! Our daughter desired to greet the wee one as well. Finally, I convinced the insect to crawl from my hand to hers. Her body became a runway from hand to toes. Our butterfly encounter lasted at least twenty to thirty minutes, however, it seemed that time stood still. We felt as if our son was with us!

Father’s Day

Then on Father’s Day that same year, my husband heard an interview with George Harrison’s son, Dhani. He missed his father terribly after his passing. The son had a dream one night in which George came to him. Dhani inquired, “Where have you been?” to which George replied, “I never left!”

Out of the Ordinary – Miracles!

Whenever something out of the ordinary happens in a miraculous way, it can be a sign of our loved ones. A prolonged visit from a butterfly is a rare occurrence. There was a message within the butterfly’s fascination with our feet and how it didn’t want to leave. When I pair this with the Harrison interview, it gave me pause. I believe that we are to know that our loved ones follow and influence our footsteps all the days of our lives. These were the most precious and powerful gifts to receive on our first Mother’s and Father’s Days since our son shed his earthy chains. Our guest provided the absolutely most memorable Mother’s Day that could be!

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Parts of this story are excerpted from the polished draft of my memoir. Please feel free to comment, like or follow! Happy Mother’s Day to you and yours!