About

Thank you for joining me on this journey from grief toward hope and growth.

I lost my mother to lung cancer, my father to Parkinson's, and my step-mother to a sudden heart attack. They died within four months of each other from January to April in 2011. Two years after their death, my uncle and two cousins passed away from cancer, and then my beloved stepfather suddenly died of a heart attack in 2015.

2021 marks the 10th honorversary of my parent's passing. I’ve never liked the phrase “death anniversary", instead, I prefer using "honorversary" for the day I honor my loved ones who are no longer with me. 

It was in their honor that I wrote The Butterfly Years. I had a fear of forgetting the love and only remembering the loss. Going through the process of writing gave me the space to go back to my childhood, to relive moments I had long forgotten about, and to immortalize a few very special people in my life.  

Originally, I had intended the book to be a self-help guide, instead, it became a personal story of the loss of loved ones, the lessons learned in grief, and embarking on a journey toward hope. 

I wrote it because I want to create an opportunity where we can talk about loss, and grief, and death without feeling judged, nor feel we have to rush through to “get over it”.

And as I wrote, it became clear that we needed a place to share our deepest thoughts and have an opportunity to finish our unfinished conversations, and have a chance to say I love you one more time, and most importantly, keep their memory alive.   That’s how the idea of the journal came to fruition.  

Journaling and writing to and about my loved ones led me out of the darkness of grief, towards hope and eventual growth.  I learned so much about myself, and my strengths during this time of self-reflection.

It has been a 3-year journey writing and publishing the book and creating the journal.  I hope it helps others know that although we are on this journey on our own, we are not alone on this path.

During one of my darkest days, I came across this proverb and held on to it with every ounce of courage and hope. 

Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly.

Thank you again for joining me on this journey toward hope and growth.  Share yours with us Instagram @thebutterflyyearsjournal

I'd love to hear from you.
Katty