Hello, Lola! 19 years, the Family, and a Moth

19th Death Anniversary

August 31st is the death anniversary of my grandmother. This year, it's been 19 years since she left us. So naturally, the topic was discussed in our family's group chat. A date was made -- those who can would come and get together at her mausoleum.

Curiously, the night before the anniversary brought an unexpected visitor – a large, exquisite brown moth. No, actually that was the second night we observed it -- the other night it was my mom who found it near the light switch. On the eve of her anniversary, the moth was high up on the wall. I zoomed in with my phone camera, took a shot, and sent it to our group chat.

"That's Lola (grandmother)," they said. Somehow, the coincidence is too peculiar, I would like to think so, too.

This seemingly ordinary encounter resonated deeply, for at least here in our place, moths have been embraced as messengers from the beyond. They symbolize the connection between our world and theirs. Was this moth a gentle reminder of my grandmother's abiding presence, like, "Hey, it's my death anniversary. Come visit me?"

There are 9 siblings on my father's side - 7 still surviving and 4 of them were able to come. It was a quick catch-up. For me, it's meeting two of my aunts and uncles again for the first time in many years. My aunt used to work in Italy for many years and we almost never had vacations at the same time. This October, she is set to leave again. My uncle, what do I say? He has a love-hate relationship with the rest of his siblings. LOL.I am glad he made it yesterday. My two younger children also got to meet them for the very first time.

After a few more minutes of reminiscing, (mandatory) photo ops, and chitchat, we all went ahead. Before that, we also went to visit my grandparents (from my mom's side) who are also buried in this cemetery.

I am still in awe about the moth -- it's not the first time this happened that they appear in very special circumstances. Or sometimes, like what happened a few weeks before, another big moth with two big dots on its wings also lingered in our room for a few days.

We said, it must be my grandfather (my mom's father) -- he used to wear spectacles similar to the big dots on the moth. You see, we've already been in the Philippines for a couple of weeks at that time, and we have not yet visited them at the cemetery. Four years ago, when we last came home, I also failed to visit. We decided to go and visit the next day and after that, the moth did not come to the house again.

Hello, ThoughtfulDailyPost Community! I am happy to be here. :D

Do you also have the same experience or belief regarding moths? I'd love to hear what you think! ❤️

_{All photos featured in this blog are by the author and may not be used or reproduced without explicit permission.}