CCAirwaves
Welcome to CCAirwaves! CCAirwaves is the official podcast of the Catholic Cemeteries Association. Our hosts, Paige Muttillo and Joel Hansel, will provide informational and inspirational segments that will help you work through your grief in a healthy way, learn more about our Catholic faith, and much more. CCAirwaves is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Buzzsprout, and other streaming platforms. If you have a topic you'd like us to discuss, please email us at podcast@clecem.org. We look forward to forging relationships with our Catholic community!
CCAirwaves
Messages from Heaven- Butterflies
Have you ever felt a soft flutter in your heart when you see a butterfly? Does it feel like a subtle message or a sign from a loved one you've lost?
Join us as we flutter through tales of hope, renewal, and spiritual connection, and consider the possibility that every butterfly you see might be carrying a special message just for you from Heaven. Trust us, it's an episode you won't want to miss.
Do you have a topic you'd like us to discuss? Please email us at podcast@clecem.org!
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Podcast: "CCAirwaves" on your favorite streaming platform!
students. Hello everyone and welcome back to CC Airwaves. My name is Paige Matillo and I'm here with my co-host, joel Hansel.
Speaker 2:How are you today Paige?
Speaker 1:Doing good. So, joel, what was your favorite part about the summer? Because you know it's coming to a close, fall has started, so I'm just curious what was your favorite part?
Speaker 2:Oh Wow, I have to pick just one thing you can pick multiple. Wow, you so.
Speaker 1:I threw you off.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I really did, because I wasn't prepared for that. Um, I mean, first of all, you have to you, you have to have loved the weather that we had over the summer. It really didn't get hot, humid, sticky like the rest of the country did.
Speaker 2:We had a pretty decent amount of rain in the early part of the summer and the temperatures were pretty comfortable. So for anybody that liked going outside and doing things like Go for a walk in the park or ride your bicycles, or even if you're a boater and you know, you the the weather was perfect to do any of those outdoor activities this past summer. So I think that is Something I remember about this summer for sure.
Speaker 1:I'm glad I spent a lot of time outside, and do you know what I saw when I was outside?
Speaker 2:Well, I mean, if you're outside, like like me, you know you see birds, you see animals Dear, you know we spent a lot of time in the metro parks. I saw quite a few blue jays this past summer.
Speaker 2:Did you see any cardinals, cardinals for sure, and since, with a lot of our episodes here, uh, what messages from heaven with cardinals. It's almost like I see cardinals everywhere now. Um, it's a little scary. Um, I don't know if anybody's trying to contact me or not, but I'm not ready to go anywhere. Yeah, so, um, but yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, one thing that I saw a lot this summer was butterflies, and that was as a result of me spending as much time as I could outside in the beautiful weather that you mentioned, and today we are going to be sharing some stories of messages from heaven that came in the form of butterflies. I never realized how many people received signs through butterflies. I had just recently learned about the cardinals when we did that episode, but then, after I posted it, someone had mentioned that butterflies were also a big sign for some families.
Speaker 2:Well, butterflies traditionally symbolize transformation and resurrection. Oh see, so they go through, you know, as a caterpillar, into the cocoon, sort of representing the tomb, and then they're reborn as this beautiful butterfly. So that's, you know, oftentimes a symbol Of hope, of hope. Obviously You'll see a lot of butterflies at cemeteries too, mainly because a lot of cemeteries have flowers and obviously the butterflies are attracted to the flowers.
Speaker 2:You know a lot of people will associate the butterflies with that hope, transformation, rebirth of the soul and for those you know, just like with cardinals, can be a sign that your loved one is with you and will always be present.
Speaker 1:Exactly so. I thought it'd be wonderful if we shared some of those stories today.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. Let's do it.
Speaker 1:So this first story was submitted by Elena B. My sister, Caroline, had a remarkable talent for painting, especially landscapes. She even received an award for her artwork in high school. In 2002, she was diagnosed with cancer. Despite her chemotherapy, she continued to paint. As her health deteriorated, she painted less frequently. Before she passed away, she was working on a painting of a lush meadow we visited as kids. She once told me while painting it if I ever leave, you look for me here. After her passing, I nearly discarded the unfinished painting. It was a reminder of her unfulfilled dreams. Then, one morning, a butterfly landed on the canvas. It fits so perfectly in the scene, making the artwork feel complete. Inspired, I took her brush and added more butterflies, using the real one as my guide. Although I don't have her skills, it felt like she was guiding me. Once I finished, I released a butterfly through the window, silently thanking Caroline for her guidance. Nearly 20 years later, that special painting now hangs in my daughter's room who carries the middle name Caroline after her cherished aunt.
Speaker 2:Can you picture Caroline in that meadow?
Speaker 1:I can, and especially since she said you know, if I ever leave you, look for me here. And the fact that the butterfly kind of landed there, I can see it.
Speaker 2:I can see it, I can totally picture it, totally picture it. And she's covered with butterflies.
Speaker 1:Exactly, and the fact that her daughter now has the middle name Caroline and that painting is hanging up in her room. It's very sweet. I really like that story. And yes, you're correct, I can definitely imagine Caroline in the meadow and I can see Elena painting in honor of her sister.
Speaker 2:Our second story, paige, was submitted by Catherine H Surely after learning about my pregnancy, my mother passed away. I was left without the guidance I always imagined I would get from her. When I had a baby, the fear and uncertainty was overwhelming. My son was born healthy, but as relentless crying during the first two weeks at home tested me, one particularly hard night I began to cry while I held him. A butterfly entered the room through the open window and settled on his crib. Within moments his cry stopped and he dripped it off to sleep. The butterfly moved to me, landing gently on my leg before departing through the window. That night my son slept soundly for the first time. I felt a connection, a sign, perhaps the guidance from my mother I had always wanted, just not in the way I had always envisioned.
Speaker 1:That one's really sweet, because I can see it. I mean, you find out you're pregnant and a lot of girls, you know, or women, look towards their mothers because they're the ones who raise them, they're the ones that have the experience with children and sometimes, you know, they want to mirror the way that they were raised. So they request her mother's guidance. And this Catherine was left without it. But she's right. I mean, she is receiving it, but just not in the way that she had envisioned. So maybe it was a sign that her mother will still be there and will always offer that guiding hand when she is able.
Speaker 2:And that first night that your newborn sleeps through the night is gold. Really it is gold.
Speaker 1:I have not had children yet, so I'm sure my parents would say the same thing. Apparently, I was a crier for a very long time, so I was going to say I still am. I still am. The next story was submitted by Jenna L. After my grandma's funeral, I began to search for her necklace. It was more than just an accessory. It had been passed down through generations and my grandma had promised it would be mine someday. But despite searching every corner of her home, it was nowhere to be found. One afternoon I was sitting on her bed feeling hopeless about finding the necklace. I looked towards the open window and saw a butterfly flutter into the bedroom. I watched as it flew into the closet and gracefully landed on a suitcase. My curiosity peaked and I approached the closet. I opened the suitcase and it was full. She must have been planning to take a trip. I searched the compartments and found it safely hidden away. Tears spilled my eyes as I clutched the necklace. It was as if the butterfly knew its mission was accomplished and flew back outside.
Speaker 2:It's very similar to the Cardinal story that we had, where I forget the listener's name, but they were cleaning the garage.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:And the Cardinal flew in and was kind of like hey, over here, over here.
Speaker 1:But she was scared of birds, so she tried to hit it with a broom but eventually found kind of what the Cardinal was having her look for.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:So I mean that was a sign to try and find something lost and I think that's wonderful. I really like that Cardinal story. I really like this butterfly story as well. I mean those cherished items you can't live without. You need them in your life to remember those who have passed, and it's wonderful that she received a sign to help her find it.
Speaker 2:Our final story was submitted by Jeremy G. On the day of my father's funeral, I spotted a butterfly. It floated towards me and landed on my shoulder. I was struck by an uncanny feeling of familiarity. The butterfly on my shoulder seemed to be intently looking at me and in that intense gaze I felt warmth, comfort and an overwhelming sense of love. It stayed with me, fluttering close as I went to the funeral Not the ceremony as tears flowed and memories were shared, the butterfly remained watching. And then, just as the eulogy ended with my father's favorite quote about everlasting love, the butterfly took a final loop around and gracefully ascended toward the heavens. At that moment I knew the butterfly was no ordinary creature. It was a message, a final goodbye from my father, a reassurance that love and connections don't end with the physical parting. He was still there, still watching and still guiding.
Speaker 1:This story also reminds me of a past story we had which involved a butterfly release as a memorial for a woman's uncle, and the butterfly flew to each family member and in a way said goodbye and then flew away from the memorial. And this reminds me of that way where I guess Jeremy's father was still there for him and still able to say that final goodbye, and it is a sign that he is still there, still watching and still guiding.
Speaker 2:A lot of people believe that when a butterfly lands on you, it means that a spirit is coming to visit you. It's seen as a sign that your loved one is okay and that your loved one's in a better place. So hopefully that butterfly gave Jeremy a great deal of healing and comfort and hope.
Speaker 1:Thank you to Elena, catherine, jenna and Jeremy for submitting their stories to us. We really appreciate it and if you have received a message from Heaven and would like to share it, you can email us at podcast at CLECEMorg, or you can send us a message on our social media, which is CC Airwaves. Thank you, guys, so much for listening. I hope that you send in some stories so that we can continue this series and have a great day.