Butterfly Kisses

My daughter, Violet, was born 8/6/75. She was beautiful. We spent most of our time together.  She was very smart in school,good grades and she was in nursing school the last two years of high school.She was my best friend. 

She got married on Valintines day 1993 and died March 31 1993.  She wasnt 18 yet but told me she always wanted to marry on Valentines day and didn't want to wait for another year after she turned 18 in August. So I signed the papers she needed to marry. She and her husband were very happy for the final month of her life. They had bought our house in Oak Hill and we was still there waiting for our home in Jackson to be ready. I was there when she passed.  She had come home the night before and talked with me.  I always waited up for her to come home.She worked at a nursing home as a nurse aide, and she said she was hungery and then she would go to bed, her husband had fell asleep on the couch,she didnt wake him. The next morning my husband came to me and said her husband couldn't wake Violet up for school.  She had 10 more days to go.She was on the floor beside the bed (she would sometimes lay on the floor if her back hurt).  When I got hold of her leg to shake her she was cold.  I gave mouth to mouth and screamed call 911!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  But my baby was gone. 

After 3 long months the doctors could find no reason for my daughter's passing. So I will never know why.      I used to pack her around on my hip until she was 6 or 7. She was small and I loved holding her. 

She was beautiful, kind, smart and taken way to soon from this earth.I miss her dearly, I will for as long as I live. I pray the good Lord reunites us one glorious day.

Violet approached the Savior, her heart full with the need to ask something of Him. Although she had been exulting in the joys of Heaven for what seemed like only moments, she somehow knew that significant time on earth had passed and that a major milestone was approaching.

He turned and gazed upon her with His wondrous eyes of love and smiled. His eyes and smile never ceased to move her soul deeply. She could feel the love pouring forth from Him as if she were the only soul in all of heaven and as though He had eyes for no one but her.

“Come here, beloved.” He said, holding out his arms to her. Violet ran forward and threw herself into His embrace.

“Oh Master!” she said, her heart bursting with joy at His touch.

“I know why you are here,” He said, stroking her hair, his voice soft in her ear. “I have been expecting your visit.”

“It has been almost 17 years on earth, Master, would it be alright if I visited just this once? It would mean so much to her!”

The Savior drew back and looked down upon her with infinite compassion. “Just this once, beloved,” He agreed.

Upon the utterance of His words, Violet found herself standing in the familiar kitchen of her mother’s home. It was late evening and Donna was standing at the sink doing the dishes when suddenly her shoulders slumped in abject sorrow. Her head bowed, heavy with the all too familiar grief. Although time had softened the pain slightly, she still suffered in silence the knawing ache of sorrow and longing; she missed her daughter so.

Violet’s soul clenched with sympathy for her mom. If only she knew! If only she could but experience just a moment, just a second of what heaven was really like and know how soon they would be reunited when all her tears would be brushed gently away by the Master’s own hand!

Violet slipped her arms about her mother’s waist and laid her head upon her shoulder.

“It’s okay, mommy,” she said. “Don’t cry!”

So gentle was the embrace, so soft was her voice that it took Donna a moment to even realize that she was not alone anymore. For a moment she was taken back in time to a season of her life when her daughter’s love filled her world with sunshine.

She twirled around and stared in shock and unbridled joy.

“VIOLET!” she shrieked, dropping the dish in her hands onto the floor. Her arms flew about her daughter and the tears she had swallowed down for almost 17 years flowed down like a cleansing river.  Violet stood there, content to let her mom vent her sorrow; knowing the tears would bring healing. She rocked her gently back and forth and cooed soothingly in her ear as if she were the mom and Donna were the child, patting and rubbing her back. In a few minutes Donna quieted down and she stepped back to let her eyes drink their fill of her long-missed daughter.

Violet smiled at her; a smile of pure radiant joy. “Don’t cry for me anymore, mommy,” she said, plucking a kleenx from a nearby box and dabbing at her mom’s eyes. “I am SO HAPPY in heaven! You just have no idea how incredible it is! Our Savior’s peace and overwhelming love permeates every fiber of your being there!”

“How…what…are you real? Am I dreaming all this?” choked Donna, clutching her daughter’s hands; never wanting to let go. She was more beautiful than she remembered and glowing with a soft light that surrounded every inch of her.

Violet smiled. “No, mom, this is not a dream. I asked the Master for permission to pay you one visit before we are reunited in heaven together. I have waited for this moment since the day I came home!”

“Home?” Donna repeated, not understanding.

“Yes, our heavenly home.” Violet clarified. “Now, I get to spend an entire day with you, what would you like to do?”

Donna was at a complete loss for words or ideas. One day? That was it? Shopping? NO! Eating out? Another dumb idea. Earthly food probably tasted like dirt compared to what Violet was getting in heaven…HEAVEN FOR GOODNESS SAKE!

“Let’s just sit here and talk!” suggested Violet.

Donna nodded dumbly and allowed her daughter to lead her out the front door to the porch swing. They sat together side by side and rocked. Violet laid her head on her mom’s shoulder while hugging Donna's arm against herself.

Donna closed her eyes and listened to the music of Violet’s voice as she talked on and on about being in the presence of their Lord and all the famous people in the bible as best she could in human terms.

As she spoke, Donna felt every hurt, every wound dissolve away and thoroughly heal from the inside out as if every syllable were a balm sent straight from heaven. The ache she had borne since the day she had seen her daughter’s lifeless body on the floor disappeared for here she was; more beautiful than ever and telling her about the wonders of heaven.

Exquisite peace flowed over her soul like a cool river filling her soul until she felt she would burst with joy. What a precious gift the Lord had given her in this beautiful girl; however brief on earth; she knew now they would have each other for eternity and for the first time since that awful day, eternity seemed more real than life here on earth.

Donna suddenly opened her eyes when she realized that Violet had stopped speaking. Hours had passed in what had only seemed like a few minutes.

“Mommy,” she said, gently removing her arm. “It’s time for me to go but I have one last gift for you before I do.”

Despite her disappointment Donna did not feel sad. She smiled at her beautiful Violet, wondering what could possibly be any better than the day they had just spent together in each other’s company. Violet grinned at her in a delighted, mischievous way and clapped her hands together, just once.

Suddenly a cloud of butterflies flew up and surrounded them both; all different colors and sizes. They whirled about, alighting then taking flight again while mother and daughter gasped and laughed in sheer delight. Then as Donna watched, utterly charmed, the butterflies began to rise higher and higher in a spiral with Violet floating upwards with them, waving her goodbyes with a magnificent smile.

“I’ll see you soon, mommy!” she called, her voice as clear as a bell. “Every time you see a butterfly from now on, just know that it’s me blowing kisses to you! Don’t forget!”

“I won’t, dearest one,” breathed Donna, clutching her now whole and healed heart with joy and gratitude. “I love you!”

“…and I love you!” came her last words on the soft summer wind.