How ‘Butterfly Retreats’ came to be

How ‘Butterfly Retreats’ came to be

Throughout our journey of launching The Summer House we also started envisioning a small gifting program and immediately registered the name Butterfly Retreats.

Why the name?

The butterfly has always been a meaningful symbol to me, and it’s remarkable transformation seemed to fit the metamorphosis of The Summer House.

We were unsure where all of this would lead, but we continued enjoying the journey. We quietly started gifting The Summer House to close family friends who had been going through cancer treatments or who were in recovery.

A few weeks ago, we were able to gift a very special family with a weekend away. I heard about Natalia and Mauro, and their daughters Chiara and Grace, via my life coaching group and started following their story. I kept them in mind with hopes of offering a visit to The Summer House when the timing was right. Their daughter Chiara was diagnosed with a condition called Polymicrogyria, Microcephaly and Qaudraplegia Cerebral Palsy.   Doctors also advised she would not talk and due to the severity of the brain damage has a short life expectancy. Doctors told the family she would never walk again from the damage to the portion of her brain that control her coordination and speech.

I was so thrilled when they accepted our offer to come and stay at The Summer House.

Finally, the day came and we were so excited to finally meet this strong family.  On arrival, their daughter Grace was first out of the car and greeted me with her beautiful smile. She was wearing a beautiful butterfly dress that caught my eye. As my favorite symbol for peace and intuition within my own life, I knew this was set to be a special day.

A meet and greet followed after showing them around The Summer House. We finally sat down and I started a conversation with Grace. I told her family about my love for the butterfly and its symbolic journey throughout my life.

Mauro sat quietly listening while I talked and proceeded to present me with a thank you gift.  He prefaced the gift by telling me: “Deb, the butterfly is definitely with you.” To my surprise, Mauro and Natalie had brought along a lovely bottle of wine with butterflies all over the label.

It was an amazing day, an incredible coincidence, and one that was brought to each of us by love.  I called Natalie later that week and explained my affiliation with the butterfly. I wanted her to know that meeting Chiara and her family had been a wonderful experience for me. I also wanted to let her know that the universe provides us with what we need.

My experience with her family has only solidified the name of  ‘Butterfly Retreats,’ and we are now so very delighted to continue this gifting program to families who are in need of escapism and time away together.

Natalie shared their experience at The Summer House:

Family togetherness is so important when you are raising a child with additional needs, as so much of your time is taken up with hospital visits, or ongoing therapy appointments. Taking time outside of the usual home environment and daily routine can create such a positive impact for the entire family.

Our recent weekend stay at The Summer House Torquay was so nourishing, relaxing, and fun! The sea air, the tranquil space, and family togetherness was exactly what we needed. It’s not always easy for families like ours to jump in the car and go away for the weekend, so we truly valued the opportunity. 

We had such an amazing time, from watching lightning storms across the ocean, swimming in the pool, walking along the beach, and cosy movie nights in. Oh and the bath, now that was a treat for mum!

We felt so welcomed from the moment we arrived and excited for the opportunity to stay at such a luxurious and tranquil space. We all slept so well, the beds are amazing and that magical sea air does wonders for the mind, body, and soul.

The girls played well together and I am certain they noticed how relaxed their parents were! We made so many wonderful family memories and look forward to returning to The Summer House to create more.

Thank you again, Deb and The Summer House, for allowing us the time to step away from our busy routine and to remind us that life is so precious and miraculous.

Checkout her full article here at her website