---MYSTERIOUS WAYS
--More Than Coincidence ~~

~~~I got to my feet, brushing the dirt from my hands, and surveyed my garden. It was early Spring, and so much was in bloom--the marigolds, the impatiens, the ivy climbing the trellis. But my pride and joy had to be my rosebushes. I had cultivated many varieties, with blooms that ranged from white to scarlet. All of them were thriving, their buds just starting to open... All except one.

It was my latest addition--a yellow rosebush. Yellow roses are my favorite, and this little plant had looked had looked so hearty and healthy at the nursery. I planted it, but within weeks it had started withering. It became a scraggly, pathetic thing. The leaves turned brown and began to shrivel.

Roses are notoriously finicky. I watered my new purchase carefully, fed it, even talked to it. Nothing seemed to work. I felt disheartened. I'd been feeling that way a lot lately. Some time passed and I tried to focus on the other flowers in my garden.

My younger daughter, Emily, was about to graduate high school. In a few months, she'd be off to college. My older daughter, Allison, was getting married. Her husband-to-be was in the military, stationed in Germany. Just days after the wedding, Allison would be going back with him--4,000 miles and an ocean away. I already felt the loneliness.

Allison was entering a new phase of her life. Both my daughters were. I was thrilled for them. I loved hearing about Emily's classes. I loved helping Allison with her wedding plans. But as a single mom, I found the stress of juggling all the to-do lists and everything on my own was taking its toll.

And now my rosebush was dying. My favorite hobby. I'll have to dig it up tomorrow, I thought, going inside to start dinner.

That night, in bed, I whispered, "Lord, I feel so alone. Send me a sign so I know you're there watching over us. So I know everything will be okay. I trust in You to always do the right thing. Thank You, Lord. amen~"

The next morning, Emily headed out the door for school, only to turn back inside. "Mom, you've got to see this!"

"What is it?" I asked. Still feeling bewildered.
"It's your roses!" Come see!"

I followed her out into the garden. That little rosebush I thought was dead? It now looked green and vibrant. Sprouting from it was a tight cluster of roses. Three beautiful roses-- one for Allison, one for Emily and one for me. In the language of flowers, yellow roses mean "I'm thinking of you." God was thinking of me and my girls. He always would. -- ~~
~~GUIDEPOSTS/TH~
~~"Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand"--[Isaiah 41:10][b][ "WITH ALL I AM"/ (feat.Darlene Zschech) (Hillsong)]<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZ_-5JplSVg>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~