Why the Ladybugs?
A lot of people have asked us about our foundation’s name and why ladybugs. Ladybugs were a personal connection/inside joke kind of thing that I had with my sister Dana. When Dana had her oldest daughter Angelina (the first granddaughter in the family after five nephews), I bought her all the pink and frilly things I could get my hands on. I eventually started buying her things with ladybugs on it and I’m not really sure why (other than thinking they were cute). Dana used to tell me stories of Angelina learning to talk and mentioning me, even though I lived over four hours away and didn’t get to see her as much as I would have liked. Around this same time I started noticing ladybugs in my house. I would jokingly ask my sister “So what’s Angelina trying to tell me?” Why was I suddenly finding ladybugs everywhere? This was also during a point in my life where I was struggling and feeling like I was at a crossroad. Things weren’t going well at work and Jon and I were in the early stages of navigating a long-distance relationship. My sister started doing some research on ladybugs and she came across all these incredible meanings associated with them.
Most people have heard that it’s good luck when a ladybug lands on you, but they also represent hope, optimism and grace. Seeing a ladybug could be a sign that you can leave your worries behind because happiness is on the way. Release your troubles and enjoy your life. They’re God’s way of telling us “Yes, you’re going in the right direction”.
As we were deciding on the name, Jon liked the symbolism as much as alliteration of “Laaser’s Ladybugs”. Mostly, we wanted the overall message of our foundation to be about hope and optimism. It also didn’t hurt that it made for an adorable logo. [Marketing!]
We also have a lofty goal that the ladybug will eventually evolve into a recognizable symbol for mental health and wellness, the same way the puzzle piece is widely associated with autism. If you see a ladybug on a shirt or pin or whatever, you know that person understands the importance of mental health. That they know that it’s okay to not be okay and that mental wellness is a crucial part of someone’s wellbeing. We all should live in the loveliness.
love·li·ness
/ˈləvlēnis/
noun.
a group of ladybugs.
"finding a loveliness of ladybugs is supposed to bring the person good luck"