A Visit from an Angel

On September 3rd I finished putting new mulch in Lia’s garden. I removed all her butterfly and Angel statues and raked the mulch around her plants before putting everything back in place. I was excited because this finished the side of the yard next to my quiet corner bench and I knew Lia would be happy to see her garden with the stones around the border and the new mulch.

I went to put the tools away and when I walked back to her garden I saw a butterfly on one of her angels. I questioned myself as to why I put one of her stick butterflies so close to the statue so I started to move it. But as I looked I realized there was no stick, it was a real butterfly! I stood there frozen looking at the beautiful yellow swallowtail and immediately snapped a picture before it flew away. But it didn’t fly away! This was the first picture and video I took when I saw this beautiful butterfly.

The butterfly made it’s way around the angel’s head and I continued to take pictures. I remember when our neighbor gave Lia this angel statue when she was about three years old and when Rich placed it in her garden, he said it reminded him of Lia because it was so dainty.

I immediately called my neighbor over hoping she would get there before the butterfly would leave. Judy arrived and now it went to Lia’s rose bush. I knew right then that it was my sweetheart visiting. Judy and I watched between the tear drops as he fluttered around Lia’s rose bush and then flew away. Or so I thought!

Instead of flying away, he flew past me and landed on the grass next to where Judy and I were standing. I slowly knelt down, held my hand out and he walked right on my fingers. My heart was beating so fast and the tears were running down my cheeks. As I stood up I thought for sure he would fly away but instead he slowly walked up my arm!

I got a video as far as I could twist my arm and as he went around to my back I couldn’t see him anymore. I handed Judy my phone and asked where he was. She took a picture to show me he was sitting on my ponytail! When I saw the picture it was so perfectly centered like it was a hair clip.

He sat on my ponytail few a few minutes than walked around my head. I could feel where he was and hoping I could get another glimpse before he flew away. But again instead of flying away, he walked back down my arm and on my hand again.

I walked over to my quiet corner and sat on the bench, showing him the all the beautiful memory stones from his loved ones. I got to spend over fifty minutes with my love and I knew it was time for him to move on when his wings started to flutter as he was on my hand.

If you look closely above the first pink pinwheel and white flower, you can see the butterfly going past my mom’s memory garden. Can you see it? Rich had to visit all the gardens before leaving the yard.

The entire day of September 3rd was amazing and I couldn’t stop thinking about my visit from an angel. But on September 19th it was also amazing. The day the butterfly landed on Lia’s rose bush, there was hardly any growth on the bush but 16 days later it was thriving and had numerous buds. I know it was Rich that visited that day.

I ended up taking over 80 photographs and a dozen videos on September 3rd but even without looking at them, I see a vision of my love. Have you ever had a butterfly walk up your hand and arm? I have never experienced anything like this before and even now just reliving it in pictures makes my heart flutter and I smile because I know Rich is always with me in spirit.