I didn’t make the connection until the wee early hours of the morning on Monday, August 31st, when I was lying awake after tossing and turning for the most of the night.

Sunday evening I was outside on our deck later than usual. It was around 7pm. John was in the house getting a plate to transfer the chicken from the grill he had just cooked for our dinner.

I was alone when I saw a butterfly flitting about near a tree about 3-feet off our deck. I couldn’t tell what type of butterfly it was. But it was the most brilliant orange I’d ever seen. I thought to myself that it was odd to see a butterfly so late in the day. Perhaps it really wasn’t, but it felt that way to me. And the color, it was so vivid that I couldn’t get it out of my mind.

About 45-minutes later, I would learn of the passing of a man I loved deeply, but who I’d never met. Someone who had changed my life for the better – Dr. Wayne Dyer.

Feeling the need to share my grief of his passing, I quickly googled his name to find a photo of him to share on my Facebook page. Without hesitating, I chose the photo of him with a butterfly on his hand. The story of why that butterfly, which he had no doubt was a beloved friend, Jack, who had come to him after he finished writing one of his books when he was deep in gratitude and living in-spirit as he often counseled others to do.

All night I was in and out of sleep. In one sense I felt silly strongly grieving a man I never met. But he truly helped me make sense of my life in countless ways. In my dreams I was searching for him. I wanted to hear from him. I couldn’t believe he was really gone. But I knew he was, and I wanted him to come back for just a moment and please tell me what it was like to be on the other side.

When I was lying there and the early morning light began to peek in through the bedroom blinds I realized the connection I had seen with the butterfly about 45-minutes before I heard of his passing, and sharing my favorite photo of him on Facebook the night before. Was this his message to me, knowing I’d be struggling with his loss- that he is still with all of us- that this is truly what in-spirit is all about?

It was in 2006, a time that I was in the middle of shifting my ideas and thoughts about life when I came across Dr. Dyer’s work. The first book I ever read of his was “Inspiration: Your Ultimate Calling.”

In April of 2005 I had decided to take a leap of faith and hired a life coach to help me find more joy, inspiration, and a calling for my own life. This led me to discovering Dr. Wayne Dyer and his work. It has helped me all these years as I’ve journeyed down a path of living a more meaningful and authentic life.

There was rarely a week that I’d miss Dr. Dyer’s radio show on Hay House Radio. It never ever failed that I’d feel uplifted and better for having heard his weekly wisdom. His teachings always made so much sense to me and they are forever etched into my being.

After going for a walk Monday morning, my best friend, Victoria sent me a text, knowing I was likely saddened by Dr. Dyer’s passing. I oftentimes shared his wisdom with her and she knew how much I admired him.

We had been trying to plan a morning to walk around a small lake in our area for a few weeks. She asked if I’d like to do this Tuesday morning.

I started crying and texted back to her that it was perfect timing. Yes, I’d love to go on that walk.

As I got dressed this morning I decided to grab the Inspiration cards by Dr. Dyer and bring them along. Victoria and I could each pick a card at random as a reminder that his wisdom is always with us – and that the right and perfect message is always there if we open ourselves to it.

I thought about writing a note to Dr. Dyer and sending it out into the water somehow or maybe stopping to get a balloon and sending it off as a tribute once I got to the lake. But neither felt right.

So I jumped in my car and headed to the lake. I should have known Victoria understood my heart and it felt so serendipitous as I realized where her thoughts had been too this morning – perfectly aligned with the same stream of consciousness as mine.

She had brought along a small container of four flowers she had picked from her garden. We would honor Dr. Dyer by floating a blossom out into the water along the way as we walked around the lake.

I told her about the butterfly connection as we began walking past the shops that would lead us around back to the small lake.

We first walked through a beautiful garden where we spotted a sign that said, “Butterfly garden.” And then a towel hanging in a store front window, with yes, you guessed it, a butterfly on it. Dr. Dyer was with us, sending us signs.

When we got to the lake, Victoria let me pick the first blossom. I squatted down by the waters edge and in my mind and heart I thanked Dr. Dyer for all he did for me as I gently pushed the blossom out into the water.

And around the lake we went, each of us taking a turn to release a blossom as our own special tribute to an amazing man and teacher.

It was so healing for me. At the end of our walk I said to Victoria we had to promise each other that when the time will undoubtedly come again of profound loss in our lives, we must do this ritual again. It was such a gift to me.

And it struck me driving home that one of us will have to do the ritual alone someday. But then I reminded myself of Dr. Dyer’s teachings and that we are never alone. We are indeed all connected whether in physical or spiritual form. We must have faith in what we can’t see, but is truly there.

And I was also reminded of words of wisdom from my mom after sharing with her the night before that it had always been a dream of mine to hug Dr. Dyer. A dream that never came true.

But she reminded me that we are all one, connected soul-to-soul, and I could indeed hug him anytime I wanted.

Thank you, Dr. Dyer for all you meant to not only to me, but to millions around the world. Your impact will vibrate for years and years to come.

**For the next seven days Hay House is offering to watch for FREE the movie, The Shift, that Dr. Dyer was very passionate about – and one he hopes will heal the planet – It is free for the next seven days if you wish to watch it. Click here.

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I feel the need to express how I feel about how some of the media is sharing the news of Dr. Dyer’s passing. Some have stated that he was battling cancer.

If you’ve followed Dr. Dyer over the years, yes, he was diagnosed with leukemia about 5-6 years ago. But it was his belief that he healed it through the power of positive thought, eating right, and taking care of his physical and spiritual body.

He was not at all battling cancer. I was happy to see that Dr. Christian Northrup, another Hay House radio author and radio host, stated the same thing – he was living his life despite this diagnoses – it never once defined him.

It also never slowed him down. He lived as if the leukemia was no longer part of his body. For him, it didn’t exist. He looked at it as a teaching as to how to truly live – and live, he did.

And how blessed are those of us who got to share the planet with him at this time in the evolution of life.

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