Remembering Molly (2 months)

Today is the two month anniversary of the day that our baby girl Molly was born and went to Heaven. It is hard to believe that much time has passed since we held our daughter and baby sister in our arms.

Sean and I visited Molly’s grave (pictured above) this morning with some close neighborhood friends of ours. They had not seen where Molly was buried before and it was nice to be able to show them.

I overheard Sean doing his usual prayer time/talking to Molly while we were there and he said “I love you Molly. I hope that you are having fun in Heaven!” Listening to him talk to his baby sister in Heaven was bittersweet, but very cute and I feel the same way. I do hope (and really believe) that our baby girl knows how much we love her and that she is having fun with God and all those that have gone before and after her in Heaven.

As we approached Molly’s grave today I noticed from a distance that there appeared to be a pretty pink butterfly hanging over what I thought was a nearby grave. I said to my girlfriend as we approached how beautiful I thought it was and how I would like to get one like that for Molly’s grave sometime. My friend said that she knew a place in the neighborhood where we could get one and that she would even take me there later today if I wanted to go there. As we got closer to Molly’s headstone I realized that the beautiful pink butterfly was actually hanging over Molly’s grave (as you can also see in the picture above)! Someone had clearly been there and left it in her honor and memory. I imagine that the person knew how we associate butterflies and the color pink with our journey with Molly and I was blown away. We don’t know who left it there (though we have some ideas who it could be), but if you are reading this, thank you soooooo much from the bottom of our hearts! It was such a wonderful surprise to see that someone else who loves and cares about Molly had been to visit her grave and left such a special ornament to grace her space.

After we left the cemetery we went to a local nature preserve called Lake Katherine (http://www.lakekatherine.org/). Sean and I had never been there before and our friends invited us to join them. It was a beautiful and very peaceful place and I couldn’t believe in the five years we have lived here on the southwest side of Chicago that we had never been there (it is only about 20 minutes away from our home). Sean and my girlfriend’s two children had a blast walking around the lake and checking out fish and geese. We had brought a picnic lunch and it was relaxing to sit and visit while we ate overlooking the lake.

There are some unique areas at Lake Katherine that I was especially drawn to. One was an area that had some pretty waterfalls that the kids also really seemed to enjoy looking at. At one point Sean’s good friend, who knows about what happened with Molly and prays for her often at bedtime according to her mom, told me that she was throwing little pieces of bark from the trail along the waterfall area into the water and “making wishes for Molly.” I thought that was very sweet.

The other area that really spoke to me at Lake Katherine today was a “Butterfly Garden.” My girlfriend (who knows more about flowers and plant life than I do) explained that there are literally certain types of plants and flowers that attract butterflies and that they created this particular garden for that very purpose. Sure enough we saw many butterflies this afternoon there and being amongst them seemed to be another awesome way to think about our Molly and honor her memory today.

My friend suggested that I might want to plant my own little Butterfly Garden in our yard, since I felt such a connection to butterflies during my pregnancy with Molly and have continued to since she died. There were actually some information sheets I picked up at Lake Katherine that explain how to make your own Butterfly Garden and maybe someday I will do so.

Please say a special prayer and/or send some positive thoughts to our baby girl in Heaven today, on this two month milestone since Molly was born and went to Heaven. Thank you.

Take care and May God continue to bless you and your loved ones.