Friday finds...

...with Kim Klassen

I am so excited to share my find with you this week~not just because it's right up my alley AND it was on sale but now there's a story behind it. 

Those are the best finds-the ones that have a personal story attached.

Kim Stevens...

...hold on to your hat for this one...

I was shopping at Pier 1 yesterday looking for unique decorations for a Mother's Day BBQ we're throwing Sunday. I found this beautiful butterfly wind chime.

I'm a sucker for metals and blown glass. The cashiers were saying how they love butterflies...and...well? I'm thinkin' this was my invitation to tell them my connection to the Monarchs & raising them. Like a proud mama, I pulled out my phone, showed them my pictures as I was answering their questions. There was a sweet elderly woman that heard our conversation & asked if she might look at the photos too. Proudly, I showed her the difference between the male & female and as the cashier was wrapping my wind chime the sweet woman said she'd like to share a story with me If I'd care to listen.

"Of course" I said. The story goes like this:

This woman's father collected butterflies that she didn't know about. After he passed, the siblings were cleaning out his house and found his collection. But by then, most of his prized butterflies had pretty much disintegrated. His wishes for his ashes to be thrown out at sea for some reason could not be honored so this woman took a ferry out to Catalina Island and placed her father's urn up on a hill facing the ocean & the casino.

Upon one of her visits, she placed a painting she'd done of a monarch beside the urn.

On a separate visit, her son and daughter-in-law went to visit this man's resting place and had snapped photos of a butterfly that was flitting about and landing on the urn. When the woman's son had told her about the butterfly she had asked what kind it was.

It was a Monarch.
Mysteriously, the Monarch never appeared in any of the photos the son had taken.

I choked back tears and got the chills. 

She had told this beautiful story to a complete stranger who took the time to listen. It almost seemed cathartic for her to share it. We exchanged pleasantries and I thanked her, finished my transaction and left the store with this feeling I can't even put into words.

Never underestimate the power of a butterfly...

...or strangers.

Happy (find your bliss) snapping!

xo

Kelly

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