Let me preface what I will be writing about next by saying that I have a scientific background and, although I grew up a Catholic, I am not the most spiritual. My girlfriend Leila is Asian and apparently her culture believes in things like butterflies representing the spirits of the dead coming back to see you. Whenever we see a butterfly in the backyard or the front, she always says it is her mom coming back to say hello. Her mom actually got Lucky as a puppy (she had a good day at the Black Jack tables, hence his name...) and we took him when she passed away in 2012.

We have a couple of plants called Buddleia, but they are also called Butterfly Bushes as they attract them. We usually get a ton of Monarch butterflies, very pretty orange and black. However, on Thursday May 3rd, the day after Lucky passed, I saw a couple of different colored ones flying around the bushes. I pulled out my phone and took some pictures. When I showed them to Leila, she said "OMG, it has the same coloring as Lucky". Indeed, it was white, brown and black, just like Lucky. And there was one picture where it had flapped its wings and there appeared to be a little ragged edge on his left wing, like he had lost part of it. Lucky had surgery on his mouth for the cancer and I have pictures of him post-op where his left jaw looked similar. And also, Lucky was a Papillon and the word "Papillon" is French for butterfly. Getting a little spooky, but this is only the beginning. The pet cemetery where he was going to be cremated was supposed to pick up his body some time after the Wednesday he passed away. I called them Monday the 7th and inquired how we were doing and when I could pick up his ashes. In the course of the conversation, I asked them when they picked him up and they told me it was around 10:30 AM on Thursday the 3rd. When I went to check the timestamp on the photo of the butterfly with the wing, it was Thursday the 3rd at 10:17 AM. Coincidence? Maybe, but the story continues.

So I waited to hear from the pet cemetery about when to pick up his ashes. I had initially been told that it would probably be about 3-5 days before they would contact me. Meanwhile, on Thursday the 10th, I again saw another of the different butterflies. This time, he circled me, landed on one of the bushes, but then flew to our front door and landed on the wall just above it, facing down so, as I approached, it was kinda looking right down at me. This time, I chose to take video. It just stayed there as I taped it and I started speaking to it. Initially it had its wings up high next to each other, as they usually do when they land. I said "hey baby, is that you? Lucky, flap your wings!". He hesitated but then opened and closed his wings 8 times, paused, and then twice more. I stopped recording and he left a little later. I thought to myself, could it be? Are they cremating him now or are they getting ready to? I waited to hear from the cemetery that day but nothing. Friday again nothing so I thought, oh well, that would have been nice but at least I have it recorded.

I then called on Saturday to see what the holdup was. I was told that he had already been cremated but, since we special ordered a dog house with engraving, it would still be a few days. So I asked if, by any chance she knew when he was cremated. She put me on hold and then came back and told me it was Thursday morning. I nearly dropped the phone but I caught myself and asked if she knew the time. She told me it was registered as Thursday May 10th at 11:13 AM. I went to check the timestamp on the video and it was Thursday May 10th at 11:36 AM. I am freaking. This makes it tough to call it coincidence.

I have created a video about this, in which I also have the butterfly picture and another picture of Lucky.

Here is the link: http://www.mylinksandstuff.com/butterfly/.

I have also included a copy of the butterfly below in the Photo Album.

5/14/18 - And now there is an epilogue to the epilogue! I have taken to going out every morning to the front where we have our 2 new Buddleia bushes and looking for butterflies. And nearly every day I see a number of Monarch butterflies but only on the 3rd and the 10th have I seen the other kind with the markings similar to Lucky. I am writing this on Monday May 14th and at 10:45 AM I got an email from the Pet Cemetery telling me that Lucky's ashes are ready to come home. I had gone out earlier and saw a Monarch but only one. So my very first inclination was to go outside with my phone. And to my shock and amazement, there were 2 of the ones with the markings similar to Lucky! That makes 3 "coincidences" which makes it hard to believe they are coincidences.

It is hard to explain the feelings in my heart right at this moment. It is still broken, but there is also a feeling of warmth telling me that somebody or something is trying to tell me that he is OK

5/23/18 - I am amazed how many people have responded to this. I have tried to thank each and every one of you but if I missed you, I am truly sorry. Meanwhile, we have been to a couple of pet loss meetings and it is so sad to hear other people's stories, but it is somehow calming because you instinctively offer support to others. There is a saying that happiness shared is doubled and sadness shared is halved or something along those lines. Meanwhile we are trying to return to a sense of normalcy but it is difficult.

9/24/18 - It has been a while since Lucky left us and initially there was a flurry of activity here as people came by to offer their condolences, but now there is not much activity. The sadness has subsided somewhat but there are still times when I think about certain things and I start to cry again. I have been thinking about getting a tattoo to memorialize him, but I have never had one and it is a little daunting. I have a friend who has a number of tattoos and she referred me to someone to talk about getting one. I am thinking about getting the butterfly with the jagged wing I mention above with the word "Lucky" in script below it. You can see the butterfly I am talking about if you go to the link provided above or in the Photo Album below. So, I sent a copy of this butterfly to the artist prior to visiting him so he would have an idea of what I had in mind. When I got there, he had done his homework and he already knew what kind of butterfly I was talking about. He told me the name and what I heard was "morning cloak butterfly". When I googled it, however, I saw I was mistaken and I also started having that feeling again like I was going to cry. It was a "MOURNING" cloak butterfly and, if you have read what had gone on during the time of his passing, you can probably see why I had to hold back the tears in front of this stranger who was going to put the tattoo on me. As of this writing, he is drawing up some drafts and I am going to see him this coming Saturday. For those of you keeping count, this is coincidence number 4 and makes it hard to believe there is not something going on here. A butterfly with the word "mourning" in its name coming to visit the day after he passed away, the day he was cremated AND the day he was ready to come home? Too much.

4/17/19 - Coming up to a year. Still think about him nearly every day. Not looking forward to May 2nd as I KNOW it will be very sad. We have a constant reminder of him on our mantel (see picture below) and now I have a permanent reminder of him on my person. I finally got up the guts to have the tattoo I mentioned previously. I have added a picture of it below. I was afraid it wouldn't come out right, so I had it done on my left shoulder. Now I LOVE it and I wish I had done it on my arm so it would be easier to see it.

I have also added a picture of some flowers blooming in our garden. When Lucky passed, we received a couple of condolence cards that included paw prints with flower seeds in them. I planted them in a pot in an urn and waited. After a while some flowers started to bloom. I took extra care of the urn and watched them grow. Well, apparently some of the flowers spilled seeds on the ground and new flowers emerged from the ground. I have fenced them off now and they seem to be thriving, I have added a picture of them below as well.

9/16/22 - It's been over 4 years and I still grieve. We have a new furbaby, Finn, and I love him to pieces, but I will never forget my Lucky. And his flower garden is still hanging in there. I try and take care of it, watering it and such. If I have anything to do with it, it will be around as long as I am.