Saturday, May 31, 2008

Butterfly Kisses



I just learned how to add music to my space here and one of the songs I just had to include was Butterfly Kisses. It has a very special meaning to my family and me. I can't hear it without thinking of Bud (Karl), my dear brother who, on June 3, 2000, suddenly departed this life at the age of 46. He grew up as the only boy among four children. He was always a rascal but we loved him anyway. He left a sweet wife of 17 years and three beautiful daughters. At his funeral, three of his daughters' friends stood in front of the gathering and sang, "Butterfly Kisses", to honor his memory. It was very fitting, as the song tells a story of a dad letting go of his daughter and wistfully wondering how time had passed so quickly, "like the wind". Our dad used to give us butterfly kisses too and the song not only causes me to think of Bud, it also reminds me of our dad who passed from this life in 1972.
I don't know if you believe in signs or have ever felt that you received messages from the beyond. I'm not talking about the Twilight Zone type of messages here, but rather subtle hints that your loved ones are still with you. I sometimes feel that my dad and brother "send" me the songs, Butterfly Kisses (by Bob Carlisle) and Dance With My Father (by Luther Vandross). I hear the songs at the oddest times. I might be getting into the car, ready to drive to a doctor's appointment, and feeling apprehensive. I'll turn on the radio, and there is one of those songs - just beginning. If I'd left a few minutes later, I wouldn't have heard it. I always cry a little when I hear those songs, and although this may seem silly, I truly feel my dad and brother are close to me at those moments. Both were men of great faith and I don't doubt their whereabouts, but I do think it's odd that when I need uplifting, I almost always hear one of those songs.
I hear them at different times of the day, on different radio stations. I even used to mark my calendar every time I heard one of them. In the days immediately following my brother's funeral, I heard Butterfly Kisses every single day for eight straight days and I wasn't searching for it. It came to me at all times of the day or night through different media. The radio was the most common source, but one night I was sitting up late, by myself, thinking about how much I missed my brother, and I turned on the television. I don't recall switching the channel to a religious station, but I must have done that. Maybe I was searching for something comforting. I was stunned at what I saw on the screen. It was Bob Carlisle, the composer/singer of Butterfly Kisses. He was just beginning to sing the song and it did give me great comfort to think that my brother was indeed watching over me and possibly trying to communicate with me. He loved music just as much as I, and in my way of thinking, that would be the media he'd use, if all this were truly possible. If all those instances were coincidental, then so be it, but I don't think it hurts anything to think that my loved ones are still around me, sending me comforting songs that evoke fond memories of them.

2 comments:

The Gathering Room said...

Kady, Like you I find times I can feel the presence of loved ones long passed... .Perhaps it is because we have had such strong family ties...and those supportive bonds have continued through our lives and sustained us. I have starts of all my moms flowers..and every spring. when they start to bloom.it is like she is here visiting me a while..as she put so much in to her garden and these flowers..they are a part of who she was. yepp.a rather hard thing to explain but the feeling is very real! ((hugs))
cindy B

Kady said...

I'm so glad someone else feels as I do. Thanks for sharing that and thanks for posting.

Kady