Butterflies and Mom's 75th Birthday... September 17th, 2018 she would have turned 75.

Mom loved living in Clearwater. Her and dad would go fishing and go shell hunting on Honeymoon Island!



On her Birthday, I came home from teaching tennis and Emma noticed this beauty on my window sill, fast asleep. 



The next day, we found another one on the same window sill, also fast asleep. This book, My Utmost For His Highest, was mom's constant companion after Ginger died. She read it daily and found much comfort in it. After Christmas Day, when mom died, I remembered she gave the book to me and began to look for it everywhere. I couldn't find it anywhere. Then I heard something fall and I went to the kitchen to see what made the noise. I didn't see anything, so I went back into my bedroom to look for the book. When I walked out, I saw a book that had fallen over on my bookshelf in the living room. I thought, Oh, that must have been what made the noise. I went to set the book up and froze when I saw what book it was. Yep, it was My Utmost For His Highest. I got chills all over my body and opened it up. Inside was a bookmark of Ginger's obituary. As the tears rolled down, I felt a great peace, as though God was assuring me they were together again. 

A while later I had a dream of mom and a tiny baby that looked too small to even be a newborn. I told Keith I couldn't get that vivid dream out of my head and wondered what that was all about? Later that day, Jeannie called and I was telling her about it. As I did, I suddenly remembered mom in the hospital reassuring us that if she didn't make it through brain surgery, it was ok. She was ready to go. She missed Ginger and wanted to meet the child she miscarried after Dawn. 













Friday, my butterfly stayed on the court the whole time I was teaching. She stayed on the ball between these two kids and seemed content. After we picked up the balls, she landed on the little boys racket. I told him to be gentle with her, she's special to me:)







Saturday, when Keith and I got back from our lunch date and running errands, she was there to greet us and fluttered all around me when I got out of the car.





My sweet friend Shannon is used to seeing my butterfly around me on the courts and in my driveway. She bought me this necklace on the way back from her father-in-laws funeral.