Of Butterflies and Bracelets...

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful infant. This infant was longed for, prayed for, hoped for, and loved. So much excitement filled the air at the news “We’re going to have a baby!”

And then, as sometimes happens, tragedy struck. The doctors assured the mother that she did nothing wrong. Nothing could have been done to prevent the miscarriage. “These things just happen. Especially in the first trimester,” they told her. At seven weeks, the infant was delivered into the loving arms of her Heavenly Father, to hold and to keep until the mother could be with her again.

Deep wounds were torn into the mother’s heart. It’d be so long before eternity happened and she could hold her infant again. And then, a butterfly came… A beautiful blue iridescent butterfly. It came and and landed on her hand, caressing the skin with its wings. At this moment, the flutterings from within were felt and the mother knew. She knew she carried another life, not to replace the one that was lost but to help her heal from the loss. This butterfly, Kimana, seemed to kiss the mother’s hand before it fluttered away into the sky - knowing it’s beautiful message had been delivered.

After the butterfly disappeared from sight, the mother went into the nearby gift shop and was amazed to find a beautiful bracelet - one with a butterfly with wings made from abalone. The beautiful blue wings seemed to flutter much like the wings that had just moments before caressed her heart and soul. The bracelet was purchased and treasured. Worn when the mother needed comfort from her unseen angel.

It is amazing how much sentiment is collected into one, seemingly small, piece of jewelry.

On this day, my rainbow baby, the one who came to us after the loss of our Kimana, climbed up onto the high shelf and retrieved the beautiful bracelet. She wore it proudly. I’m sure she wanted to be pretty “like mama”. She kissed the iridescent wings as she danced around. And somewhere, somehow, in the hands of the little mischief-maker, the bracelet was broken. The silver band straightened. The butterfly charm became detached. Unsure of what metals were used, jewelers are unable to reattach the charm. And so, the butterfly bracelet sits - broken.

Now, on this day, the mother’s heart aches for the treasure, the tangible piece of reality that tied her to her infant. In her heart, she knows that the ties to eternity are not tangible. They are felt as the strings are woven together into a blanket that wraps around one’s soul and brings comfort to the aching hearts.