As parents we were overjoyed to be expecting our 5th daughter, Butterfly, in June of this year, but then scans revealed our daughter had a number of complications which meant we wouldn’t have long with her.
Sadly in the hours before Ruth was to give birth, Butterfly’s heart stopped completely, and she died in the womb.
Privilege and Pain
Our pain at our loss was real, but Ruth counts it a privilege to have carried Butterfly for 38 weeks, and I counted it a privilege to have carried Butterfly in my own arms to her resting place.
All in all it was a privilege to carry Butterfly.
Following our loss a number of well-wishers donated some funds to us and we started The Butterfly Project as a legacy. Since then we’ve been working with Butterfly’s Auntie & Uncle who are serving some vulnerable individuals on the edge of the Kalahari desert, Botswana.
This weekend we’re flying out to Botswana to formally launch the Butterfly Project there by opening a playground we’ve designed and constructed from scratch which will act as a safe space for children to just enjoy being children, many of whom, also have a limited life expectancy.
Our Appeal To You
As part of this process that we’ve been through, we want to make an appeal to you, and it’s not for your money. We believe your money should be used by you to make a difference in your own circle of influence, wherever you’ve been placed.
Our appeal to you is to reflect on this;
If the pain in your life was money, how would you spend it?
Because the world looks at pain as loss, but we believe it’s an asset we can use to connect with a fellow human being and add value to them at their point of need.
Maybe you’ve been through chemo, or some kind of surgery, or whatever?
There’s someone in your circle right now who’s about to go through chemo or surgery, or whatever, and they just need a call from you to let them know you’ve been there, to let them know, YOU KNOW THEIR PAIN.
So, our appeal to you is, don’t let your pain be wasted, and don’t let it rob you.
If pain is going to be our co-pilot on life’s journey, then let’s press on and use it to make a difference in this hurting world.
