A quote came across my Facebook feed the other day. The quote, attributed to an unknown writer, said, “The butterfly is a symbol of transformation, reminding us that with each ending, a new beginning is possible.” How true this statement is.

In my garden I have taken to watching swallowtail caterpillars as they have chomped on carrot tops and then morphed from a chonky green, yellow, and black striped caterpillar into a beautiful black butterfly, beginning once again the cycle of life and new beginnings. What are the new beginnings that have happened in your life?

As it is late summer here the education institutions have begun their fall sessions. A new education year brimming with endless possibilities. Possibilities to learn, grow and mature. Perhaps you have embarked on a new path of learning, secured a new job or got that promotion. I have not yet secured a new job however, I have begun a new path of education. I have given myself the gift of learning and am currently enrolled in Doula Foundations Intensive with Christa Ovenell (aka deathsapprentice.ca).

I was asked the other day, “You are doing birth doula training with a death practitioner?” I replied, “It’s a different kind of birthing training I am doing – a birthing into the next life so I am learning how to become a Death Doula.” For me, the work of a death doula encapsulates how I view my work in ministry, as a midwife of the soul (more on this later). In Canada I cannot call myself a midwife of the soul as a professional moniker because the term “midwife” is held by the Midwives Association of British Columbia and the licensing body the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives.

When I first started this blog way back in the early 2000’s, I wondered what God was bringing to birth in me? It seems that there was, and is, quite a lot that God is birthing in me! It is a continual process much like the life cycle of a butterfly. A beautiful gift of new possibilities. Over time there will be changes made to this website of gracehappens.ca. This blog will be a part of it but not the sole focus. I have several plans but like anything that is worth doing it will take time. I would be grateful for your company on my path of becoming a death doula.