Tiny Neighbors

Wynn helped remind me how magical little garden critters are. She found a praying mantis one time, and you would’ve thought she was petting a unicorn. No one prepared me for how electric it would be to watch my child discover the world for the first time. I couldn’t get enough of it.

Since her passing, I receive messages from these little critters more than ever before. I’ll pluck hermit crabs off the ocean floor, have a snake pick the rock right next to me to sunbathe on, or notice a teeny-tiny spider rappelling down onto my hand while I’m painting.

But most of all, my family, my close friends, and I constantly encounter ladybugs. In the country, out of the country, in the freezing cold, or in the blazing heat. They are always there. The day before we lost Wynn, a ladybug landed on her hand, and she was entirely enamored with it. It crawled from her hand to mine, and we shared that quiet moment together until it flew away. Later that day, I taught her about heaven.

I know she leads these critters into my life, and into the lives of those who loved her. They don't scare me; they make me feel grounded and deeply connected to her. Because of that, I feel compelled to paint them and share them with you. Perhaps one of them holds a special symbol for you, too.