Look For The Butterfly by Colleen Dahlgren

Look For The Butterfly by Colleen Dahlgren
A Book About After-Death Communications - ordering information: e-mail cdahlgren@wlsv.org

Introduction to "Look For the butterfly" by Colleen Dahlgren

Introduction to "Look For The Butterfly" by Colleen Dahlgren
Is there life after death? Are we more than just our bodies here on earth? Will we see our loved ones again? The people whose stories are told in this book would answer an unequivocal "yes" to all these questions. They have proof. They have received signs from their deceased loved ones letting them know that they are okay. These "signs" or "messages" have taken many forms. Some came through dreams or actual visions. Some people have actually had conversations with their deceased loved ones. Sometimes, the signs were more subtle, but no less real - a beautiful butterfly, a flaming red cardinal, a colorful rainbow, a blooming plant and many more. Many times, the grieving person asked God for a specific sign and yet, just as often, the messages were an unexpected gift. Whatever the source, each of the people in these stories were immensely comforted and more at peace with the death of their loved one.Whether we lose someone to a devastating illness, suicide, an accident, violence or natural causes, we all want to know that that person is all right. We have the need to know that we will see them again someday. Otherwise, how could we go on?My own tragic experience with a death in my family led me to explore and research life after death in great detail.For the rest of my life, I will remember the night of April 6, 1994 as the night that changed my life forever.The phone rang about 7:00 p.m. My sister was on the other end."Are you sitting down?"Immediately, I knew something was horribly wrong."I've got some bad news - very bad," she started. Later, she told me that she wanted to tell me quickly to spare me from additional pain."Floyd was killed today." Floyd is our uncle, my mother's brother.I gasped and reached for the nearest chair."There's more," she added. MORE?She went on to tell me that my cousin, Floyd's youngest son, had taken his father's life. My cousin suffers from a severe form of mental illness, paranoid schizophrenia, and has been troubled and tormented for the last ten years.I immediately felt an overpowering need to know for sure that my uncle was okay. It became an obsession. I needed to know that after all his suffering and his last horrible moments on this earth, he was at peace and finally "home' with God. I prayed, I began researchiing, I read books, I visited the Internet, and I talked to people. What I found amazed and comforted me. Hundreds of people have received signs from their deceased loved ones. These signs have come in many forms. I was intrigued by all of them. I couldn't believe the number of people who have had experiences with butterflies and other signs in one form or another. The more I learned, the more excited I became. I sincerely felt I needed to let people know about this. I needed to reach a certain in my own healing, however, before I could begin to think about helping others. When I came to this point, I realized that I had to let people know about this wonderful gift. I needed to let them know that their loved ones were fine. I began to collect stories about "after-death communications", and decided to write a book documenting these stories. I also wanted to include in the book the many lessons I learned from this tragedy. One thing all of the books and materials I read on near death experiences had in common was the message the survivors brought back with them; that is - our purpose here on Earth. I have to admit I struggled with this one. "After all," I thought, "why are we here if this is how it all ends?" What I learned was this: we are here to learn and to love and help one another; a simple but powerful message. I felt a need to share this message with others. This was truly my wake-up call.Death is not the end. It is only a transition, a new beginning! Our true self is not our body, our true self is the soul or spirit contained within our body. Our physical body is only a shell or house for our soul. When we die, we shed this shell or cocoon and our soul is free and whole - as free as a butterfly. We only lose our physical bodies. That is all!The butterfly is the symbol for rebirth and resurrection. It means everlasting life in Jesus Christ. The organization, "Compassionate Friends" (a group for bereaved parents), uses the butterfly as their symbol. In my research, I came across this quote by Richard Bach, "What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls the butterfly." How wonderful! Since the early centuries of the Christian church, the butterfly has symbolized the resurrection and life after death. The caterpillar signifies life here on earth, the cocoon signifies death and the butterfly; the emergence of the dead into a new world and wonderful, free existence. I love butterflies and you will see why!On the day of my uncle's funeral, at the burial, the first sign from Floyd occurred. It was a rainy, cold day in New England. As the family stood graveside in much anguish, a yellow butterfly appeared seemingly from nowhere and started to flutter around my cousin, Jeff's and his mother, Lily's faces. My cousin recalled thinking how strange it was to see a butterfly around this time of year and no sooner had that thought popped into his head, he thought of his father and Floyd's love of nature. He immediately knew this was a sign from his father that he was now in God's hands and that he was fine. Jeff tells of feeling a huge relief as if a ton of bricks were taken off his chest right at that moment. The butterfly lingered for some time around Lillian, as if to thank her for the thirty-four years she and Floyd had shared together; then it flew to the bugler who was playing "Taps". Uncle Floyd had been in the navy for twenty years and the tribute would have been a great honor for him. At the conclusion of "Taps", the butterfly flew off into the woods, having touched the souls of the family. Later that day, as everyone gathered at the family home, an amazing "coincidence" was noted. My aunt had a collection of butterfly works of art, which were displayed throughout the house.Exactly one month after my uncle's death, his brother, Sam, was sitting on the porch of his house and thinking about my uncle and how much he missed Floyd. Suddenly, the most beautiful butterfly he had ever seen landed next to him and stayed for about twenty minutes, as if to pay him a visit and comfort his wounded soul.I also recall talking to my cousin, Jeff, on the third anniversary of his dad's death. He was very sad, but feeling somewhat at peace. He had just seen a butterfly that morning! I had been praying that the person who needed it most would receive a sign from my uncle Floyd.I too was sent a sign one day when I was feeling particularly depressed. I was cleaning and found a box that looked as if it had never been opened. Inside the box was a butterfly pin with purple roses on it. A purple rose was the sign that I had asked for before I knew about the butterflies. To this day, I don't recall ever seeing that box or pin before then. I called my sister and she gasped. She said that she was just getting dressed for a funeral and she had just that moment found a butterfly pin, also.There have been many other signs. God is persitent. I know that I will continue to receive messages or hear of others who have, whenever I need reassurance.From the very minute I heard the news of my uncle's murder, I knew without a doubt that my life would never be the same. I believe that in everyone's life, there is a moment that changes your life. That night truly divided mine into two distinct parts - "before" and "after". Before the event and after the event.Look For The Butterfly is a book about death. However, it is not a sad or depressing book. It is a book of hope and inspiration for anyone who has ever known the incredible pain of losing someone.The stories in Look For The Butterfly confirm the belief that there is no death. Death is only a transition. It is a beginning. We will be reunited with our loved ones again. It is my deep and fervent hope that through my story and the stories in this book, I can provide some measure of comfort for everyone who has experienced a loss.For each of you reading this book, I pray for peace, I pray for understanding, and most of all, I pray you will find the faith within yourselves to search for, discover and believe in your own personal butterflies.
at 10:20 AM 3 comments

Do you believe in after-death communications?

Have you ever had an after-death communication?

If you have had an after-death communication, what form has it taken?

I Only Wanted You

They say memories are
golden
Well, maybe that is
true.
But, I never wanted
memories,
I only wanted
you.

A million times I needed
you,
A million times I
cried.
If love alone could have saved
you,
You never would have
died.

In life I loved you
dearly,
In death I love you
still.
In my heart you hold a
place
No one could ever
fill.

If tears could build a
stairway
And heartache make a
lane,
I'd walk the path to
Heaven
And bring you back
again.

Our family chain is
broken
And nothing seems the
same.
But as God calls us one by
one
The chain will link
again.



I will never forget your face!



I will never forget your face!
One of our biggest fears when someone we love dies is that we will someday forget what they look or sound like. At first,we vow to never forget what they look like. Then one day, we wake up in a panic because we can't quite remember what he or she looked like. We may think we are being disloyal or that something is wrong with ua. However, this isn't at all what is happening. We will never forget that person. But sometimes certain aspects connected with the death are too painful to remember and our mind protects us with "blank spots" until a time when we can face this part a little easier.

If you worry that you are forgetting the person, stop. You are not! Getting out pictures, a video if you have one, or a recording of his or her voice will quickly bring back the image of your loved one's face or the sound of the voice. This is one reason to keep a memory box of special pictures or to create a memorial page or collage of pictures.

Affirmation: When I wonder if I am forgetting your face, I will get out a special picture of you and smile at you.
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Excerpt from the book

A Very Special Butterfly Story

My best friend died about ten years ago. We had talked about dying a few years before, and we also talked about a story I had heard about an older couple who debated the existence of an afterlife. They agreed that the first to go would send a rose to the other to prove that there is an afterlife. The man died first. About a month later, the woman found a red rose on her pillow.
My friend and I decided that might be difficult, but something like a butterfly sitting on your shoulder would be possible. About a year after my friend's death, I was walking through a park and a butterfly followed me, landed on my shoulder and did not leave my shoulder until I left the park. I knew it was Marianne. I think that was the moment I was finally at peace with her death.
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Look For the Yellow Butterfly by Patricia Oglesby

About a year after my son, Shawn, died in 1993, my married daughter was going through a difficult time. She was depressed and very angry. Shawn was her only sibling, and the loss was very hard to accept. One night Shawn came to her in a dream. He told her he was all right and happy where he was; that she must learn to forgive and he would always be with her.
"How will I know you are with me?" she asked.
"Look for the yellow butterfly," was his reply.
At the time, Karen lived in an apartment, and the first thing she did every morning was open her drapes. On the morning after her dream, she opened them to find what must have been one hundred yellow butterflies fluttering against the large picture window. She never saw so many butterflies before at one time, and it was early in the year for butterflies.
Later on, my husband, Buddy, Karen, Hayley (my grand-daughter) and I went to the cemetary. A yellow butterfly appeared. It kept going around and around my granddaughter's head. It stayed with her for at least three minutes. We thought it looked as though it was trying to gently light on her head. Needless to say, she was quite startled by the whole thing. She was only two at the time. We were in awe over the experience and will never forget it.
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