12/06/2026
For anyone considering a butterfly release for a loved one, I can only say this: it is a simple, beautiful act of remembrance that often brings unexpected peace, comfort, and connection in a moment of reflection.
Many people who have participated in a butterfly release say the same thing afterward—words can’t fully explain it. It is a good cry, but it often brings a sense of peace and closure. Butterflies naturally represent change and transformation, and many find comfort in the feeling that their loved one is still present, watching and listening in their own way.
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I am often asked how I decided to add memorial butterfly releases, and this is the reason why:
When my children were younger, I used to take them to Red Robin, and they would each release a balloon for my grandparents to “catch.” One day, my daughter—three years old at the time—let hers go and yelled, “Papa, catch it!”
A man walking into the restaurant saw the balloon floating away and, kindly thinking it had been lost, reached up and caught it. My daughter immediately broke down in tears, crying, “No! It’s for Papa!”
He had no idea what she meant, and I felt terrible. I explained that we were releasing balloons for her great-grandparents and that she wasn’t expecting anyone to physically catch it.
Everything was okay in the end. She released another balloon, and we all watched it drift away into the sky. This time, she smiled and said softly, “He caught it.”
We had no idea at the time how harmful balloon releases can be to the environment, and over the years we’ve come to understand so much more. Because of that, we now choose butterfly releases instead.
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It feels more meaningful in every way. Butterflies rise gently, alive and free, and for a moment it feels like a message being carried upward.
I always encourage each person to whisper a message before releasing their butterfly. I truly believe that in that quiet moment, the butterfly carries that message upward, delivered to their loved one in heaven.
Each box is custom made with a choice of heart color and poem. Each box contains one Monarch butterfly.
Here are some examples of memorial boxes I have made, each one thoughtfully prepared in either English or Spanish.
~Cindy
