A congregational or community service to honor and remember our loved ones who are living with dementia or who had dementia and have passed away.
About
Monarch Moments was designed by Healing Moments' staff in response to requests by Alzheimer's Association professionals in Massachusetts and Iowa. The original Monarch Moments service included hundreds of live Monarch Butterflies - which were released in the rose garden of the Dubuque Arboretum as the name of each person with Alzheimer's, or other disease of dementia, was read.
The visual impact was stunning, and the emotional impact opened hearts and minds.
The Service design can be replicated for communities and offered in a natural setting. It can include butterflies, which, if desired, can be ordered through a number of Internet sites. The Service design can be adapted for indoor locations, and candles, flowers, stones, etc. can be substituted for butterflies.
A Monarch Moments service is also applicable for individual congregations, or clusters of congregations wishing to honor and remember persons with Alzheimer's, or other diseases of dementia, and their families from within their own membership.
The existing services are available for sale and replication; or the Healing Moments staff will create a service for your application. Healing Moments' staff members are also available to lead the Monarch Moments service for your church or community.
"I touch God in my song
as the hill touches the far-away seas
with its waterfall.
The butterfly counts not months but moments,
and has time enough." ~from "Fireflies" by Rabindrinath Tagore
Listen to Rev. Dr. Jade Angelica share this powerful message in
"Turn and Be Healed: Alzheimer's Disease - A Call to Love"
"Understanding the difficulties faced by those coping with dementia - by the grief exposed when loved ones are lost. We want to bring families together who have experienced loss, and those who are currently in the midst of the disease. Our hope is that we are able to bring healing and a sense of comfort to all those affected. The butterfly release symbolizes the Beauty of Living in the Moment.
In the brief moment when the butterfly is released in memory of or in honor of a loved one, it is our hope you will be reminded of how, like the butterfly, beautiful moments in life are often brief. But, oh, how wondrously glorious those brief moments can be!"
~Greater Iowa Alzheimer's Association
Monarch Moments reminds participants that in the midst of Alzheimer's disease there are TRANSFORMING MOMENTS. . .