Wednesday, April 17, 2013

PAINTED LADY

Although it seems like yesterday, it has been a year.  One solid year.  365 days have passed since our darling Charlotte Rose left this earth on April 11, 2012.  I remember that day so vividly, yet I do all of her days right down to what I was wearing or ate, but I guess that comes with the territory of being a mother.  

To honor our sweet girl's precious life, we decided to release butterflies at her garden.  An idea which my father suggested, came to be and it was perfect.  The day was slow to warm up which meant that although acclimated, the butterflies were content to sit before they flew.  In retrospect, I realize what a gift this is as we were able to capture our moment on camera.  From its envelope to our hands, we were able to savor each butterfly's release.  My favorite part of the day was watching Patrick Jr. as a butterfly danced on his hand.  He was so proud as he stood there holding one and then another, just as he had held the container of butterflies before we started to release them.  

One of the day's highlights was seeing a heart drawn on the backside of a dried strawberry in Patrick's lunch.  Mind you I had packed it earlier that morning, hand choosing each strawberry from the last of the bag, never having noticed the now so distinct heart.  It's as if she wanted us to know...know that she'll always be in ours.  Later, the grandmothers joined us as we toasted her with a bottle of rose champagne, a gift from her Uncle Martin.  We've saved it until this day, to toast our girl.

It was a touching experience and one I hope to repeat again each year, as it reminds me of a new beginning.  And as we trust in God's plan, we trust in our own new beginning and rest peacefully.