Saturday, April 4, 2015

Rebirth



After Christmas, the two red amaryllis blossoms that had sprung forth from a bulb planted in just stones and water, died back.
Those brilliant red blossoms that brought brilliant color to the drab days of winter eventually faded and began to die.
If I had known nothing about bulbs,
or if I had known nothing about amaryllis,
I would have assumed the spent looking appearance of what was left of blossoms meant the the plant’s day had come to an end,   
I then would have tossed the plant out.

Instead,
I cut the flower stalk back to about three inches above the bulb.
I then took it downstairs to a cool dark closet that seldom gets opened.
I thought I’d check on it again in the fall.


Mid-March, I was looking for something in that dark, unused closet.
Not wanting to knock over the glass container containing the rocks and the bulb, I looked to see exactly where it was hiding in the closet.

Imagine my surprise when I saw a new green stalk shooting out of the bulb.
On the end of stalk was a bud.

I brought it upstairs, 
gave it a big drink of water
 and 
waited to see what time and light
 would do for it.

Thankfully, I had not read the fact sheet stating that amaryllis planted in rocks and water without soil
would not re-bloom.
The photo below proves they will re-bloom.
There was a rebirth.

Now the Christmas plant has bloomed for Easter.

Last week, my daughter sent me a text with a photo of daffodils attached.
Daffodils are my favorite flower.
They are a beautiful symbol of hope and rebirth.
She had made an arrangement with the flowers that combined springtime objects that gave her sweet memories.
One item in the arrangement were the salt and pepper shakers that once belonged to our dear Julie.

This next week will be a hard one for us.
Easter is a mixed occasion of joy and grief for me.
The last time I saw Julie was on Easter of 2010.
On April 8, Julie would have turned 39 years old.
Julie
Easter 2010

If I knew nothing about life, and death, and about faith in a God in Whom I can trust,
I would have completely been undone when my daughter died.
Many, many years ago I came to faith in Jesus Christ.
I went down paths that led away from my belief,
But I did not remain on those misleading paths.
I returned to faith.
When I needed that faith in the most,
My need was met by Jesus, the one trusted as a young girl, with grace and continued healing.

Easter brings me joy and hope.
Tomorrow, I will raise my voice in joyful Hallelujahs of praise for the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
I will join others around the world when it is announced 
He is Risen
By saying,
He is Risen Indeed.

A few day later, on what would have been Julie’s birthday,
I will remember Julie with these words penned by C.S. Lewis as an epitaph for his beloved Joy:

“Here the whole world (stars, water, air,
And field, and forest, as they were
Reflected in a single mind)
Like cast off clothes was left behind
In ashes, yet with hopes that she,
Re-born from holy poverty,
In lenten lands, hereafter may
Resume them on her Easter Day."

Have a blessed Easter.




12 comments:

  1. That is a spectacularly huge bloom, Sally. It's gorgeous as was Julie. I'm wishing you a loving, peaceful Easter.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautiful flowers and beautiful children have blessed you, my friend. Angels speak through flowers.

    ReplyDelete
  3. resurrection makes possible hope in the world and rejoining our loved ones who have gone on before us.

    ReplyDelete
  4. So poignant, Sally. I've been thinking of you this week. May your faith in rebirth ease your grief.

    ReplyDelete
  5. An Easter miracle, I'd say those blooms are. Perhaps Julie had a hand in them! I send you Easter greetings filled with love. This is a lovely tribute and I'm so glad you shared the story.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Happy Easter Sally. I hope your heart is behaving and I look forward to seeing you again in October.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Lovely amaryllis, lovely thoughts. Happy Easter!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Sending you lots of love on this day of remembrance of those we loved who wait for us to come home. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Great post, Sally... YES---with God in our lives, we can go through ANYTHING which life throws at us... Whether it's new life or death or something in between, with God, we can handle it.. Thanks be to God... AND on this Easter Night, I am thanking Jesus for dying on the cross for ME ---and knowing that he LIVES for me also... God Bless...

    I'll be praying for you this week.
    Hugs,
    Betsy

    ReplyDelete
  10. I hope your Easter was lovely and that in the coming days your focus will be on love and sweet memories.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I love the symbolism of the second blooming of your Christmas amaryllis, Sally. Wishing you Easter blessings and the strength and comfort of your faith as you approach the fifth anniversary of Julie's death.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I raise amaryllis by the ton now and sell them on Craigs list (with care direction) As to the rest we lost on 27 year old married son to bi polar at Christmas time in 1997 and my feeling parallel yours in many way. Thanks for the reminder my friend,
    Ray

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting my blog. I love reading your comments. Comments are moderated by the author of this blog. It may take a short delay for your comment to be published. No anonymous comments are published, nor are comments that are offensive to myself or other readers.