We’ve welcomed new babies—my grandson Knox and great niece Lexi. We’ve had cookouts and blown a million bubbles (mostly at 2-year-old Isabelle’s request). We watched Mace blow out one candle on his birthday cake (and cram his face full of the yummy treat!). We’ve played in the sand and eaten (way-too-many) ice cream cones. Good times, good memories.
But some of the events haven’t been joyful or welcome. My mother-in-law, Opal, was diagnosed with cancer in her right sinus cavity. She spent the summer undergoing chemo at Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville. They were hoping the difficult treatments would shrink the tumor and surgery could follow. But that’s not what happened. The cancer continues to grow.
There have been a flock of other family problems, too. Some physical. Some financial. Others emotional. I wake each morning and begin praying for the overwhelming needs of those I love. I’ve even begun to wonder what new calamity might unfold during the course of an otherwise ordinary day.
Which is why the sunflowers came as such a welcome surprise.
They appeared one day, twin stalks rising out of the flowerbed near my sunroom door. By the time I noticed them, they were knee high and looked enough unlike a weed to be spared my dedicated pulling. They grew taller and soon big buds appeared. That’s when I knew—I was going to have sunflowers to brighten by waning garden!
I’m not sure where these beauties came from, how they got to the perfect spot in my flowerbed. “A bird pooped them,” my practical sister informed me. “Bird feed has lots of sunflower seeds in it.”
Okay…
But they could just as easily have been dropped from the hand of an angel passing over my house. “Look, there’s a bare spot in Mary Lou’s garden. I know what will fill that nicely—and give her a reason to smile, too.” Fling. Ping. She plants the seeds and moves along on the breeze.
As I was admiring my sunflowers this morning, I noticed they had sprung up next to a clump of red geraniums. And nestled in those geraniums is a small gray rock with a single word carved into its face: REJOICE.
Good advice. Rock solid advice. Because in the midst of sadness and trial there is always God’s eternal love…and some unexpected blessings.
An odd and wonderful thing happened to me on the way home from the Popcorn Festival last Saturday in Valparaiso, Ind. Just when I needed some encouragement, I looked at the sidewalk and noticed something shiny -- an oval metal object.
I picked it up and saw it had a message: "Have faith."
I smiled.
Then I turned it over and saw it had another message for me: "Expect miracles."
I've kept this on my dresser since then, in a place where I can see it every day and not mixed in with keys and other hidden objects in my pocket. It's a great reminder.
You are an inspiration and your blogs are heaven sent words from God.I always get a smile on my face and a tear in my eye .Your blogs touch deep enough to make one feel and make a difference in our lives. Prayers and blessings to Opal.
Wonderful, as always, Mary Lou! You always manage to find a spot of sunshine in the darkness of life. I will keep you and your family in my prayers - there's a lot on your plate right now and your incredible faith will see you through. Now, if I could just teleport you to Connecticut, you could tell me what's a weed and what's not in my mish-mash garden. I think most of the time I pull up the "good stuff" and leave the weeds! I know in the middle of winter I will look back at these beautiful summer blogs and know spring will come again...
