A Special Butterfly and Her Gem

Nevin and Natalie in a Butterfly Garden

Enjoying each other's company on a beautiful day.

Well, this is the most difficult blog post I have ever had to write. I hope I can convey my thoughts and emotions about the 2 beautiful people it is supposed to honor, Natalie Daly and Nevin Vince. Natalie is my niece and Nevin is her longtime boyfriend. They lived an extraordinary few years together, and they died together. My heart continues to ache, even a few weeks later. I am sure it will hurt to some degree forever. But I want to talk about the incredible people they were and what they represented in their short time on Earth.

When Natalie was a young girl, her dad told her she was a social butterfly. She was happy to have that moniker. She excitedly told her mom that her dad told her she was a special butterfly. She was cute and funny from an early age, even when she wasn't trying to be. AND she is indeed a special butterfly! 

I only spent one day with Nevin, and I was completely impressed. His employer posted a touching tribute on FB after his death. In the post they said, "he was simply a gem". I love that description and they were not wrong! One day with him verified to me that he indeed was a gem. Now I will always remember them as A Special Butterfly and Her Gem. 

A Special Butterfly and Her Gem

From a young age Natalie was fun, sweet, and giggly. She was an artist who loved to laugh and play. We spent many hours in our front yard, or hers, just tumbling around the ground and laughing together with her brother Nathan. She would even humor me by sporting a clown nose at times. I am truly blessed to have spent as much time with her as I did. I will miss her kind nature, her laugh, her smile, her adventurous spirit, and her hugs.  

Her playful spirit was easily shared with others like me.

I think this photo makes her look like an angel looking up to heaven. 

As she grew up, she became more fun and adventurous. We shared many walks through nature preserves. We both thoroughly enjoyed that time together. We played together, we laughed together, and we even cried together on the sad occasions. Life is full of emotions, and she showed them all very well. I will miss those walks, talks, and her inquisitive questions she inevitably came up with. 

Adventure abounds

Water is not a boundary, but an opportunity

She would even laugh at herself and her own silliness

She loved her family, friends, and Nevin immensely. I lived 500 miles away, but she still stayed in touch via text. I don't know many teenagers who text frequently with an aunt or uncle. I was always honored when she would message me. She would tell me about an upcoming dance with Nevin. Road trips to places like Chicago with her friend Shila. Family vacations with her mom and brother or with her dad and brother. She traveled to Gatlinburg, Myrtle Beach, North Fort Myers and a few other places. She went on vacations with Nevin's family as well, which told me they also loved her very much. For such a short life, she lived it well and loved others completely! We even got to share a rare celestial event together. The total eclipse of 2024. Connie, Judy and I traveled to Ohio to see it with her and Nathan. We chatted and laughed at a park on a sunny day while we waited for the big event. As it got close we all put on our special eclipse glasses and watched. It was quite the extraordinary thing to witness as the Earth went dark, coyotes howled and owls hooted... at 4pm! It was made even more extraordinary to witness it with Her and Nathan. I believe they were both surprised by the spectacle as they oohed and awed. It filled my heart to be with them in that moment. Those are the memories I will cling to as we learn to live without her physical presence. 

Always willing to be silly with her Uncle Rodney, even as a teenager

She had one of the most beautiful smiles in the entire world

I was so happy that Connie and Judy were able to share that day with Her and Nathan. Her and Connie had a loving bond. They also texted with each other from 500 miles away. One Christmas Connie elicited Natalie's help to trick me into taking a color blind test. Connie wanted to get me special color correcting glasses for Christmas, but needed me to take the test without being suspicious. In steps Natalie... Natalie texted me one day in November and told me about a school project on color blindness. She asked if I would take a test to see what kind of color blindness I had. I was so happy to help her with a school project! I sent in the test and she thanked me. A week later she sent me the results of the school project and some statistics they learned in class. I texted her some facts/theories I had read about color blindness along the way and she said she would share that with the class. Alas, it was all a ruse. Fast forward to Christmas day when I opened my present. I was completely surprised. Connie printed up their text messages to each other. It was such a cute exchange and I couldn't help but cry to know they had that kind of relationship. One of Connie's text messages said "Why is it so much fun to trick your Uncle Rodney?". Natalie responded with "I don't know, it just is!". I know I had fun in those moments for sure! 

She was giving and would lend a hand whenever and wherever she could. Even on the saddest day of her life, the day we buried her dad, she was helping others. She lent a hand to an elderly woman entering a building. She helped with a wheelchair. She quietly listened to others as they poured out their own sadness. All while going through her own grief. She was wise beyond her 18 years of life, that is for certain. She was a teacher without even knowing. She was a friend that a friend could count on. She was a daughter/niece that loved with her whole heart. She was a unique, wonderful butterfly and will be missed by so many! 

Like I said, I only spent one day with Nevin. I am so thankful I did. From the moment he got out of the car, looked me in the eye as he shook my hand and said, "It is so nice to meet you finally", I knew he was worthy of Natalie's love. In that one day I learned that he was compassionate, caring, kind and funny. I could see why He and Natalie had such a strong bond. Not only did he tell me about himself and his interests, but he also listened to my stories and was genuinely interested in what I liked to do. At 18 he seemed to know how to live a good and loving life. The 3 of us went to a zoo and enjoyed a beautiful day together. We chatted and laughed and learned things along the way. Towards the end of the day, Nevin showed me his true colors. Of course, they were the same colors he showed me from the beginning. I don't think he was one to put on airs or try to be something he wasn't. He was a genuinely kind, caring, and loving young man. I could not have been prouder of someone if he was my own flesh and blood. 

Such a nice day to watch and learn about animals 

Watching a lemur together

We walked into an indoor exhibit. It was dark inside, and after a few steps in Natalie noticed Nevin wasn't with us. I brushed it off, but Natalie was a little concerned. After a few minutes Nevin caught up with us. When we exited the exhibit, Natalie asked him what happened. He nonchalantly told us that he was worried about a little girl at the entrance who was alone on a bench. He stayed behind to make sure she was safe and found her family OK. Luckily, she did, and all was well. He told us the story just to answer Natalie's question. I don't believe he would have told us otherwise. In other words, he wasn't trying to sound or be heroic, he was just looking out for a child who may have needed help. He wasn't looking for a pat on the back, but I did tell him how proud I was of him to look out for her like he did. He just kinda shrugged and thanked me as we went about the rest of our day. I knew in that moment that he was an incredible young man. I didn't know that just 4 short months later he would be gone. Although, his memory is etched in my heart forever. 

Eating a yummy Indian meal after our zoo excursion

Another thing that impressed me about Nevin was his love for Natalie. It was evident when I asked where they wanted to eat dinner. Natalie said, "I love Indian food". Nevin said "I have never had Indian food, but if Natalie loves it then I am willing to try it." Even though the food was delicious, I don't know if Nevin thoroughly enjoyed it. He did say he liked it, but I am not sure he loved it like Natalie. I am convinced that he thoroughly enjoyed spending the day with Natalie and watching her be so happy and excited about the zoo and the meal. 

The world is a much better place for having Natalie and Nevin in it. Countless lives were touched by their kindness. As I stumble forward with my life, I will keep them both close to my heart and mind. I will try to honor them by doing my best to treat every person and animal with kindness and love. That is what they did for 18 years, and so now I will try to carry that torch forward. I encourage each of you who read this to do the same. Believe me, they are worthy of that honor! Thank You Natalie and Nevin for showing us that are left behind how to be good humans!

Butterfly Kisses ❤🧡💛💚💙💜💕

                  Now Go Out and Hug Someone Today!!!