| A
special thank you to our many friends!
Sonja
and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of
our fans around the world. Since the beginning of the creation
of "The Butterfly House" seven years ago, your
response has been overwhelming.
We
appreciate the phone calls, cards, letters, books, and butterfly
gifts. Sharing
our stories and creativity with you is a joy.
Love
... J
 
Tamara Kuchenbecker (Manhattan Beach, CA) and Denise Keele (Royal Oaks, CA), two of J's long-time friends
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|
J,
Samantha and her father, while Samantha
is holding a copy of the Oakley Press |
We
would like you to meet a very special friend - Nadine
Heidacker. She is a photographer from Novato, CA.
|
Our
fans first learned about "The Butterfly House"
from an article in our local Monterey Herald newspaper (http://www.themontereyherald.com).
The story was written by Amy Ettinger - published
December 2, 2002.
We
also want to thank the Salinas Californian newspaper for
another article about "The Butterfly House" on
October 16, 2004, written by Janice Austin.
We
were also featured in the "Evening Magazine" on
CBS Channel 5, out of San Francisco, on February 24, 2004.
This is a travel "magazine" for the Central Coast
of California.
On
March 18, 2005, again in our local Monterey Herald newspaper,
the Padre Trails Camera Club entered two photographs of
J’s art work on "The Butterfly House". One
of the categories for the participants was "Oddball
or Quaint".The photograph of the "Butterfly Queen"
won first place in this category. The other photograph in
this category won second place.
Some
of the pictures in the Photo Gallery were taken by a good
friend and former neighbor, "Monterey Jack".
The
love story you can read about us in Carmel Magazine (click
here) was written by Executive Editor Scott Brown and
professional photographs taken by Kelli Uldall. For those
of you who do not live in the Monterey area, this is a first
class magazine, which is published quarterly by the Carmel
Media Group, Inc. Sonja and I hope you enjoy this story
because it was written with love and compassion for all
who go through life with vision loss.
Lastly,
we want to thank everyone who featured "The Butterfly
House" in their communities around the world.
|
Dr.
William Wenner - our mentor and friend -- Written
by J
"The
Butterfly House" would never have happened without
the help of my great friend, Dr. Bill Wenner.
From
1971 through 1976, Sonja and I lived in a little rented
cabin in Pacific Grove. Through the years I worked hard
to make this a cabin a beautiful place for us to live. In
1976, the property was sold to a couple from Texas. When
they moved from Texas to Pacific Grove and found out an
interracial couple was living in the rented cabin behind
their primary home, they gave us to two weeks to get out.
We searched frantically to find a place to live. After a
week, we found the property we own now, but did not have
the down payment.
Dr.
Bill was the doctor for the drug counseling center where
I worked. Dr. Bill volunteered his services to many agencies
and individuals throughout Monterey County. He was one of
the most loved surgeons on the Monterey Peninsula, not only
for his skill as a surgeon, but for his volunteer activities.
When I mentioned to him that we only three days to get a
down payment on the home; without hesitation, he gave us
the money for the down payment.
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|
| I
have traveled to every state in this country, but I have
never met such a caring, loving man as Dr. Bill Wenner.
He was my mentor, and if I could have chosen my father,
it would have been Dr. Bill. The picture below is of Dr.
Bill and Sonja on his property on the big island of Hawaii.
On
November 24, 2005, our beautiful friend, Dr. Bill Wenner,
died at his home in Volcano, Hawaii. Sonja and I are celebrating
his life because life is what Dr. Bill was all about. He
will always be in our thoughts and in our hearts. LOVE YOU,
BILL!
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| May
5, 2008 Dear
Mr. Jackson,
Please apply the enclosed check to create a butterfly in
honor of my grandmother, “Nana”. Six months
ago she passed away peacefully in her home surrounded by
loved ones and her ever precious butterflies. My grandmother
was 87 years old and lived a hard life raising five childen
and three grandchildren alone, but she always had enough
love and patience to go around. The beauty of butterflies
had always brought Nana joy, and indeed, she had an opportunity
to see (although her vision was limited) your lovely home
before she passed.
It
is my understanding that you created your home of butterflies
in response to your wife’s impending loss of sight.
Please know that you are providing a wonderful service to
your community and people around the globe by sharing your
beautiful creations.
Gratefully
yours,
Michelle
Gall
Lenexa,
KS
|
I
AM VISITING A FRIEND IN PACIFIC GROVE. MY SON DIED ONE YEAR
AGO YESTERDAY JUNE 14. I WAS WONDERING IF I COULD PAY FOR
A BUTTERFLY TO BE ADDED TO YOUR FENCE, BUT A WHITE ONE OR
BLUE?? PLEASE LET ME KNOW. I WALKED BY YOUR HOME TODAY AND
JUST LOVED IT. YOU ARE A GOOD HUSBAND TO YOUR WIFE.
IN
ASIA THE BUTTERFLY HAS SIGNIFICANCE TO THE LOSS OF A LOVED
ONE.
AT
THE COMPASSIONATE FRIENDS ORGANIZATION FOR PARENTS YOU HAVE
LOST CHILDREN, EACH CHRISTMAS, THERE IS A BUTTERLY MADE FOR
EACH PARENT. IT HAS A SPECIAL SIGNIFICANCE.
THANK
YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ MY EMAIL
MY
KINDEST REGARDS & PRAYERS FOR YOUR WIFES EYESIGHT.
BOBBI
RUOTOLO
PROUD
MOTHER OF DARREN E. DAVISON (34)
|
Recently,
we received a card from a fan who lives in San Jose, CA and
has an 11 year old cousin living in England. My wife and I
got such a laugh from it, that we wanted to share it with
all of you.
Dear
J,
Recently,
my cousin, who is 11 years old, was visiting us from England
and we brought him by your Butterfly House and he must
have been really impressed. When he went back to school
in England, they asked him to show a pitctur of where
he visited on his vacation. He chose a picture of the
Butterfly House over Yosemite Park and the Golden Gate
Bridge in San Francisco.
Letters
like this one makes me get up every morning to continue
working on the The Butterfly House for Sonja and I, and
all our wonderful friends around the world. |
Virginia
Holine
Virginia
Holine has been my dearest and closest friend since
we met in 1973. We worked in adjacent offices for
different
agencies, but a lasting bond was formed. When we met,
she was a widowed mom of two school age children and,
yet, she always had time to listen and be supportive
of her friends.
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|
| I
am pleased that to this day, 10 years after her retirement,
our friendship has continued to grow. She knew J and
I during the years we struggled to buy and build our
present home. Many times she loaned us money when things
got rough. The real beauty of Virginia, is that she
was never judgmental, always practical and had boundless
‘common sense’. The world is a better place
because she helps to make it that way. |
|
Mr. Jackson,
I want to thank you very much for taking the time to talk
to my friend and me today. We were out walking training for
The Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. We like to train in your
neighborhood because the walk is in SF and the hills in P.G.
are great. We walk about 10 miles when we train. We have walked
by your house many, many times and I always enjoy it, it seems
to make 10 miles go very quickly. After meeting you and visiting
your web-site I love it even more! You really are a very special
person.
I would love to meet your wife and we will definitely
knock if you are not outside. It seems to me that your story
leaves out the fact that you are a massage therapist (or
maybe I missed that, you have done so many things in your
life!). As a breast cancer survivor myself I know that there
are a lot of women out there who don’t make it through
the battle.
Thank you again,
Taryl Meyenberg
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|
Notes
from our friends!
Hello
J,
Margarita and I feel fortunate to have accidentally
come across your amazing home on Monday May 8th,
2006; and we feel even more fortunate to have met
you there. As beautiful as Monterey and Carmel are,
seeing your home and meeting you remain highlights
of our trip. We have been showing photographs of
your home to all of our friends, and telling them
of the good work that you are doing with blind children.
We wish to thank you for the good work that you
do, and we wish you and Sonja the very best in all
your endeavors.
Kindest
regards,
- Bob |
|
Attached, please find a check in the amount of $10.00
for a personalized butterfly to be placed on your
Butterfly Universe Wall of Love. We wish the butterfly's
label to read as follows: Margarita & Bob - 2006 |
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