This coin was purchased for my mother, Eleanor, as a cherished keepsake of both of her young daughters that have passed away. Her first daughter, Lynn, passed away in 1991 and we immediately started to see monarch butterflies everywhere we went. Since May 1991, the monarch has been our sign from Heaven to let us know that Lynn Marie is still with us.

My other sister, Hope, has also passed away. We do an annual event called "Hope Days". It was founded on May 1, 2015 to celebrate what would be Hope Cookis-McCarthy’s last birthday. She was turning 49 and was nearing the end of a two year battle with stage IV colon cancer. Her tribe of family and friends wanted to show her she was cherished and to bolster her courage to continue the fight as long as she could. Hope’s entire life was based on kindness and empathy for people and animals, always taking care of others and adopting strays from the time she was a child. She put others above herself.

This year, we gave out butterfly coins to help initiate the butterfly effect of kindness! This one though, it not in service. It is for my mom to have and hold through her grief.

Find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/HopeDays13/ or @HopeDays13