The Butterfly 

My sister's son, Adam, was quite a special young man, not just to our family but to many people. In May,  he turned 23, finished his advanced college work towards becoming a CPA, landed the job of his dreams, and, most importantly, married the girl of his dreams.

 The last day of June he and Angie were closing on their first home, a new condo, and preparing to move. About 3pm he went by the bank where she worked to sign some papers, and in his usual hurry, he ran out the door smiling, joked with her co-workers and called across the offices to her, "I love you, see you later.."

After work Angie stopped by her father's gift shop, and just as they were about to close up and go home, Angie got a call from someone inquiring about Adam.  He was late for an appointment. Angie hurried home to see if he had left a note. A few minutes later her father, on his way home in the opposite direction, for some reason turned to go towards Adam and Angie's apartment. As he pulled up he saw Angie running out of the apartment screaming.  Adam, in his usual hurry, apparently was getting dressed for his appointment. He kept his gun collection in the closet of the spare bedroom where some of his shirts hung. His best friend and college roommate had cautioned him, "Adam, make sure all your guns are unloaded before we move you this weekend. We don't want to have an accident."

The rest, as they say, is history. It was instant, very surely unintentional, and very, very fatal.
At the funeral we were stunned. People had come  from towns from one end of the state to the other.   People of all ages.  People came from his grandparents' town where he had visited, to the owner of a restaurant where he worked in college. People also came from the town where he went to high school.  He had touched so many lives. The funeral was in the same huge church where he had been married just 4 weeks earlier. 

We were more than touched. And we learned why Adam was always in a hurry. He had a lot to get done in a short amount of time.  The graveside services were first. This was unusual to me but I found this to be very healing, probably because of what happened here. After the service most of the family remained near the casket to be embraced by the mourners. As we stood there we noticed a beautiful butterfly flitting all over the huge spray of flowers covering the casket. 

The butterfly seemed to dance on atop several flowers (Adam was known for his dancing) and then flit over and dance around one of us. Back and forth went the butterfly, like a host making sure all of his guests are cared for. The butterfly didn't seem to mind the crowd, nor did it seem to matter when the people began to drift away. He just kept dancing and flitting and touching near to each of us.

We were all in the cars waiting for the procession to drive us away, and the butterfly still danced. As we sat and watched we all knew. It was Adam. He was definitely there with us. As he was in life, he was in death, and he was letting us know he was with the Father.  

Later, at the church, we shared this story with Angie (she had been helped to her car earlier). She said we had to tell her mother right away.

We did and she smiled as she cried and told us the story of when much of her home had been damaged in a storm.  

The house sits atop a hill overlooking Winston-Salem, NC. The roof was gone over part of the house. She was devastated, and fighting anger and resentment. She looked up towards the heavens and prayed for understanding, peace and strength.  Then she saw something. It was way up high in the sky and small, but she could see it. It kept coming closer and closer, until finally it came into focus.  It was a butterfly.
Knowing that butterflies are of the earth, living among plants and trees and shrubs, they do not on their own materialize from the skies. She knew then, as she did on this sad day, the butterfly was truly a sign from God.
We all knew.
 

written by Debbie Odom