It was a beautiful day...

"A butterfly lights beside us like a sunbeam

and for a brief moment it's glory and beauty belong to our world,

but then it flies on again;

and though we wish it could have stayed, we feel so lucky to have seen it."

-Author Unknown

Well, I did it. I made it through one of the hardest days of my life. She is at peace and resting. I felt such serenity yesterday. There was so many people that showed up and she would have been so happy to know she was soooo sooo loved.

Keri loved butterflies. She believed that butterflies were souls coming to visit us. The day she turned 18 she even got a tatoo of one (I tried to talk her out of it!) One time she witnessed one land on my finger and had enough time to grab a camera and take a picture. It was the coolest thing ever. She kept saying "Jeana that was your mom!" For the last couple weeks during the summer we would always enjoy them flying around my backyard. She had been telling me that she had falcons, bluejays, and butterflies showing up in random places. She even looked it up online to see what that means. I told her she was crazy. Since her passing everyone I have talked has been seeing butterflies or has told me a story about her and butterflies. SO, anyway, I thought it was only appropriate to do a monarch butterflies release at the funeral. First I read the poem and then erin handed me the box the butterflies were in. I was so worried they weren't going to fly out but they did. All of a sudden I heard an emotional sigh from the crowd. I then realized that a few of the butterflies were stuck in the box so I smiled and said "well, keri never liked perfect" and everyone started to laugh. They told me later that it was absolutly breathtaking. Now when we see butterflies we will always think of Keri.

"Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued is just beyond your grasp, but if you will sit down quietly, may light upon you."