The following article is a guest contribution by Lisa Bolton, the founder of The Dandelion Project.
OCALA, FL (352today.com) – Sunday, May 5, was a day to honor and celebrate bereaved mothers and the children they’ve lost.
Bereaved Mother’s Day began in 2010 and is celebrated on the first Sunday in May. This day is a way to support those who face this tragedy.
“Losing a child is the most difficult thing a parent ever faces. It is not the natural order of things,” said Lisa Bolton, founder of The Dandelion Project. “No parent should have to bury their child.”
Bolton along with Michelle Pepin, founder of Picking Up the Pieces, and Rachael Reimer of Good Shepherd Memorial Gardens in Ocala hosted The Dandelion Project’s first live butterfly release. The group intends to make it an annual event.
Following opening remarks, the butterflies were released and then a tribute to those lost was given by a reading of names.
The celebration ended with a poem read by Pepin and some final words by Bolton.
Inside the chapel, the mothers honored their children by placing a paper butterfly with their child’s name, along with pictures of loved ones as a way to help them overcome the difficulty of the day.
The group hopes to release live butterflies again in July for Bereaved Parents Awareness month.
