The butterfly, a symbol of new life and rebirth, brings hope and helps us cope. Those of us who have lost a child through death frequently find consolation in the miracle of new life, as the chrysalis is transformed, emerging from its cocoon to uplift its wings in flight.
            The butterfly is the logo of The Compassionate Friends. Early each spring, members of our local chapter gather for our annual Butterfly Release at the Japanese Tea Gardens. Parents, siblings, grandparents and friends gently unfold the envelopes and watch our monarch butterflies open and fold their wings and then freely lift to light on a flower nearby. Usually the butterflies sip some nurturing nectar. We watch the butterflies at our feet as they bid gratitude to their floral perches, and, after awhile, fly away to join the community of other butterflies, bees, and birds.
            The Butterfly Release in mid-May was a simple and beautiful symbol to memorialize our children, each in our own ways. At that moment when my butterfly took flight, I felt the presence of my son, Wade. I felt a release of grief and sadness. I felt a whisper of peace.
            Two weeks after our Butterfly Release, I was walking up a path along Saint Charles Bay on the Texas Gulf Coast. As I stopped to look at the tiny wildflowers at my feet, a monarch butterfly approached, rested upon a flower, opened his wings and then folded them again as if in prayer. I felt a gentle release and a peaceful whisper. 

May 4, 1971 - Feb 2, 1999 

                                                                

Sincerely,  Bill Howden & Jan Davis
Soul Windows Ministries