Sunsets and Butterflies

Over the years, since our daughter Casey passed away, I have written about the signs and ways that she lets me know she is still with me. Sometimes when I am really struggling, she will find a way to send me a little sign and it helps me get through the day.

Casey was our only child and our entire world was centered around her. When she passed away, my husband and I were totally lost. We found that idle time was the worst. It was just us and our thoughts. That often led to downward spirals that we had a hard time breaking out of.

We decided that we needed to stay busy as often as we could. Some close friends who also lost a daughter have a ranch about an hour outside of our town. It was always really nice to get out of town and relax out there with them. We decided we would look for a ranch of our own. And it would be a project we could do together to keep us busy.

It took a little over a year to find the right ranch for us. But we eventually found it. It had everything on our must-have list and a few things on our wish list as well. Casey hated being outside. She hated bumpy roads. She was not a fan of country life. She was our little city girl that loved lounging in the pool and relaxing in the AC.

We spend a lot of time working out at the ranch. And often joke about how much she would hate it out there. But as soon as we say that, we see a beautifully colored butterfly land on a plant right in front of us.

We drive home near sunset a lot and on those evenings, the sunsets are always vibrant pinks and purples (not the typical Texas orange). On those evenings, I feel like she must have painted the sky just for us. I could imagine her job being to paint the sunsets. She would be amazing at that job.

This page has relevant information from other parents who have lost a child with a disability.