Little tidbits of my life

Life lesson with my Peace Lily

Peace Lily Blessing...

This peace lily may not look like anything to brag about, but I was SO BLESSED by it.  A little over two years ago I had to have a total hysterectomy.  My wonderful friend Sheila brought me a little peace lily.  It fit in a drinking cup, that is how small it was.  I have never had many house plants, but I really wanted to treat this lily with care and watch it grow. 

After about a year, my peace lily was big enough to re-pot.  I re-potted it and placed it back on my mantle where it was out of reach of the cats.  It was really beautiful, but NEVER bloomed!  I could not understand it.  I had done all I thought I was supposed to do.  It had indirect sunlight, so I had thought that might help it to bloom.  I will mention here that I also have a table runner stretched across my mantle...My 15 lb cat "Buster" became fixated on this plant and COULD NOT get it off his mind.  He just HAD to reach it.  Well it took him a few months, but he is a VERY smart cat.  One day I heard a horrible noise and saw Buster flying through the house to hide.  OF COURSE, he had figured out a way to get onto the mantle AND he, with his 15 lb of momentum, slid on the table runner and knocked down almost everything that was on the mantle, including my PEACE LILY!!! 

Through tearful eyes and a broken heart, I repotted the peace lily FOR A SECOND TIME, cleaned up all the dirt and continued trying to baby the plant.  When I get upset, Buster also gets upset...he NEVER tried to get on the mantle again.  For the next year, my peace lily got bigger, but still WOULD NOT BLOOM!  WELL I was at my friend's house one day and I noticed she had a peace lily on the floor, beautiful...her cats never bothered it.  She told me they do not seem to like it and so for the first time, I considered displaying my plants in a more pleasant way.  

I bought a Rod-iron baker's rack that fits in a corner and displayed my plants in my kitchen/dining room.  I realized the lily was too big for the rack, so I put a rod-iron plant stand beside the baker's rack and used it to display my peace lily. I figured it would be high enough that the cats would not notice...

THEY NOTICED!!!  Before I could stop them, all three cats were attacking the leaves because the leaves were bouncy, kinda' like Tigger.  The cats had mowed down half my plant before I could get them away from it.  They did not eat the leaves.  They spit them out.  Evidently it was bitter.  SO now my BEAUTIFUL peace lily was RUINED.  Leaves were spread across the floor. 

Seeing my plant destroyed hurt me much worse than it normally should.  I think it is because I related it to my own healing process of getting over the fact that I had to have a hysterectomy.  I was in Walmart a week or so later, around Easter time...and saw a HUGE peace lily for ONLY $10!!!  It just made me sick all pretty and blooming!  I DID NOT BUY IT. 

When I got home from Walmart, I walked over to my pitiful looking plant and I was debating just throwing it out.  I was SO upset.  BUT all of a sudden, I noticed something WHITE coming up from one of the broken stems!  I was SO SHOCKED...I checked it EVERY day.  Within a few weeks, it opened up and was a BEAUTIFUL BLOOM!!!  So there was my pitiful broken plant with such a magnificent "PERFECT" bloom.

I will not lie to you, it made me cry.  This bloom was focusing on the light coming from the sliding door.  I thought about how amazing God is.  HE knew I needed this special blessing.  He supplies all our needs.  He treats us even better than our earthly parents!  He understands the self-pity, but He also expects our grieving to only be for a season.  We have to stay focused.  We MUST keep our eyes on HIM.  HE knows when the time is right.  He has prepared me for a new turning point.  I have entered a new season of my life, one where I will claim VICTORY through Christ Jesus.  I am on the WINNING SIDE! 

Just like gold that has been tried by fire and the impurities are taken away...This beautiful bloom was raised up out of the broken leaves and came forth shiny and new.  That is when I realized that this bloom is just like me!  I am ready for the next phase of my life and look forward to serving God and witnessing all God has in store for me to do for Him! 

Incidently, the cats have not touched the peace lily since that attack!

Have a Blessed Day!

Teresa

Untitled Comment

08:48, Wednesday, April 30, 2008 .. Posted by 1ladybeale

What an absolutely wonderful and encouraging story! I really needed this peace lily life lesson of yours! Thank you so very much.
Sincerely,
Sharon