WAUWATOSA, Wis. — A Milwaukee mom is now an author after writing her first book on a topic near and dear to her heart.
Laporche Barham Kimber recently published her very first book “Where Butterflies Go: A Sister’s Journey Through Grief.”
She said she wrote the book to help her own family and others navigate loss and grief.
Kimber said her connection to butterflies started years ago at church. During a Sunday sermon, her bishop referenced butterflies as a symbol of new life through transformation. Her two children also heard the sermon and connected with the message.
“My son would always tell me, ‘Mom, just keep following the butterflies.’ That they would guide me to a place,” Kimber said.
Not long after that day at church, Kimber lost her only son, Maurice, to gun violence. He was only 18 years old. Kimber and her daughter were devastated. They turned to the transformative journey of butterflies to help them process their grief.
“In the metamorphosis for the butterfly, they reach a point in their life where it’s complete darkness and they don’t know what’s going to happen next,” Kimber said. “That’s how I like to show the children that even in our toughest times, even in our darkest times, we are going to have brighter days.”
In “Where Butterflies Go: A Sister’s Journey Through Grief” Kimber wrote about a little girl who finds comfort in butterflies and learns they need help to survive. So, she plants a garden for them to thrive and watches their evolution from caterpillars. Kimber said it’s a process that takes love, faith and hope, just like healing.
Whenever Kimber sees a butterfly, she said she likes to think it’s a sign from Maurice. She said she believes her son would be proud of her book, and turning her grief into something that could help others.
“I know that Maurice would think this is pretty amazing,” she said.
The book is also available in Spanish and is now available online to purchase.