Story of the Week, One More Butterfly, July 17, 2010
Hello, friends. Before our story today, we need an update on the Cayce ministry. For those of you new to this list, several years ago we Earth Angels adopted an entire town, Thornton, Arkansas. I had read about Joann Cayce, and the work she and her family have done for 45 years with the poor in this little poverty-stricken hamlet. It was difficult to hear that many of the children there didn’t have shoes or underwear, and rarely a toy. We decided to help out by sending our outgrown stuff or (as I do) visiting garage sales for bargains. We sent thousands of socks one Christmas, and several people on this angel mailing list have gone to Thornton (driving a truck full of donations) through the years. No pressure to get involved: if you already have a favorite charity, or are caring for senior family members, good for you, and keep it up! If you cannot afford to give anything, please pray for these people. It’s the biggest blessing you could give them.
Well, those of you who have received Joann’s latest letter know that Joann had her gall bladder out last month, and one day while she recuperated, Joannie (her daughter) was driving their delivery truck packed with corn that a local food bank had given them, when a cable caught on the truck and pulled it over. Angels must have surrounded her because she was not seriously injured, and the truck can hopefully be fixed rather than totaled out. (Maybe the angels were telling Joannie to slow down?) Daniel (Joannie’s son) was left in charge of the entire ministry as the women recovered, and this past week he left for Boston for an intensive pre-med program. He will be taking his entrance test for medical school at the end of this month.
I’m exhausted just reading about the problems they have there, but this is the kind of work where you can see the results. Items brought in that morning are usually gone by dinnertime, and because Joann has lived there all her life, she knows who is truly needy. There are special needs at special times too, things many of us would never think of. For example, the druggist in town will accept any leftover medications, and give them to sick people. There are foster kids being released from the system who have nowhere to go. Women fleeing abusive husbands are in need of immediate safe shelter. Where do the Cayces put the donations they receive for giveaways? (Answer: In a gym our gang helped them purchase a few years ago; now they have a food pantry and “store” available at all hours.)
During the next few weeks, the people in Thornton will be attempting to get the children back to school. They will need all the usual school supplies as well as light-weight clothes and underwear (at least for now). Coats will come later… It’s a never-ending process. Thanks and hugs for the good job all of you do, whether in your own communities or in Thornton. I know that the angels are dancing with joy and appreciation.
And now for our story:
Our last story (about angels sometimes coming in the guise of butterflies) generated a lot of responses. Obviously, many of you have experienced this wonderful little sign, so I thought we’d do one more:
Kim Wencl lost her 20-year old daughter, Elizabeth, in September of 2003. Elizabeth was a student at the University of Minnesota and a fire broke out in her duplex. She and two of her roommates died of smoke inhalation.
Losing a child at any age is probably the most devastating blow that anyone can experience, and this family was no different. “As we began the difficult task of planning her funeral,” says Kim, “my Mom, Liz’s grandmother, was insistent that we needed to release butterflies at the cemetery. We all thought it was a great idea, but no one knew where to find butterflies … not even the florist.”
Kim’s mother would not be deterred. She went on the internet and found a company in Florida that could supply butterflies. She ordered them and they arrived in time for the funeral. (“I considered this to be somewhat of a miracle as well,” says Kim, “because my mother is elderly and on a very good day she can barely remember how to use a computer.”) Yet despite her deep emotional turmoil, Gram was still able to follow through.
After the funeral and the graveside service, Liz’s family released the precious little collection, expecting them to fly away. But they didn’t. Except for a few, the butterflies hovered around the mourners. “Many landed on us, or fluttered over the casket and the large funeral sprays that lay on it,” Kim recalls. “One butterfly landed on Elizabeth’s sister, Anna, and it stayed on her … it didn’t want to leave. Everyone sort of gasped as the significance of it set in.”
Since the cemetery is within walking distance, the following day Liz’s grandmother went over to visit the grave. As she stood and stared at the overturned earth and all of the flowers strewn upon it, she thought, “Liz if you are ok, please give me a sign.”
After a few more minutes, Gran began to walk back home. Soon—and almost expected—two butterflies flew up right in front of her, seemingly out of nowhere. It was Liz, her grandmother knew. All was well.
“Elizabeth is always present in our lives,” Kim says today, some seven years later. “She has let us all know in so many different ways.”
God does not abandon his children in our times of grief. He has promised that He will send us whatever we need to endure, and He does. Even butterflies.
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Comments
I agree with you betty this is such a lovely story. Angels are all around us.I am so glad to be in there presence. I lost my father last year and everytime I see a butterfly now I know he is still with me. Be Blessed
My daughter, Jenny, died in a car accident in March of 2008. She was 32 years old. She loved butterflies so much. The first time I went to sit at her gravesite (actually a memorial garden), a beautiful butterfly came into the garden and settled on the grass where her ashes were and then flew over near me. The grace of God is such a comfort.
that story was lovely an i also lost my sister in 1990 and another sister in 2003 and only the other day a butterfly flew right in front of me and yesterday i opened my door an another butterfly flew right at me b4 flying away xx