Silk Roses in December

"Am I not here, who is your mother?"

--Our Lady of Guadalupe to St. Juan Diego

Yesterday afternoon, Marie sat gazing out the front window. "What's that in the bush?," she asked, pointing. I pressed my face near the glass and could just make out the outline of something pink in our dormant rose bush. "Margaret," I called to one with better eyes than mine, "can you see what is stuck in the rosebush?" She squinted to get a better look and announced, "It looks like a rose."

"A rose?" I said, doubtfully. "It would never be a rose this time of year."

"Well, it looks like one," she insisted.

Sure enough, it did look like a rose, and within a moment one of the children suggested, "It is a rose in December--just like Our Lady of Guadalupe!"

Unlocking the front door, the children all went sprinting out. Theresa was the first to reach the bush, plucking off a perfect, pink silk rose. "It's one of the roses from the wreath," she called across the gray-brown flower bed.

As she held the rose aloft, I readily recognized it as part of the pretty pink wreath no longer on the door. The landscapers had been by to do the winter cleanup in the morning. Evidently, one of them had found an errant rose lying somewhere and stuck it in the bush for safekeeping from the leaf blowers.

I was laughing at this point and feeling a bit silly, because, quite honestly, a part of me had become excited over the prospect of having a full blown rose in the front garden on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Standing next to me, Agnes noticed my reaction and asked, "What would you have thought if it had been a rose?"

"I would have thought Our Lady had sent it to let us know how much she loves us."

Agnes considered a moment and asked, "Well, couldn't Our Lady have sent a silk rose?"

[And there you have it, dear friends. As usual, the eyes of children are open and ready to see what we adults too often miss.]

"Yes, Agnes, yes, I do think Our Lady could have sent a silk rose," I smiled, draping an arm around her as we walked back into the house.

Comments

[Katherine in TX]

Well, I agree with Agnes! Our Lady did send you a silk rose on her feast.

[Denise in Ohio]

We believe! What a special blessing on a very special feast. Awesome.

Blessings,
Denise

[Amy]

I'm not sure why this is making me cry, but there ya go! LOL. What a beautiful story.

[Cheryl]

I love the pic - it does look like the rose grew on the barren bush. It's still a gift even if it's silk as it's the last thing you expected to find on that empty bush. :)

[Kristen Laurence]

I love how this story makes me want to hug and kiss my daughters!

[Jennifer]

Beautiful truths on a lovely Feast Day!

[Cheryl]

I loved reading this story.

[Dawn]

Oh Alice, thank you for sharing such a sweet story. :)

[Marybeth]

I think Our Lady sent a sweet thank you to sweet Alice for thinking of such a special tea to honor her on her feast day. :)

[Layla]

This was beautiful. Agnes is very wise.

(Don't worry, Amy -- it made me cry, too!)

[Ruth]

This is so beautiful. What a great story. Children are amazing, aren't they?

[KatieButler]

What a beautiful story.

[Cay]

I can think of no one who deserves a rose from Our Lady more than you, Alice.

[Karen E.]

I didn't doubt for a minute that Our Lady sent a rose to you, Alice. :-)

[Donna]

Oh, we have so much to learn from little children.

[MaryM]

I first posted this message in wrong comments section - it didn't make any sense there, did it?

-What an inspiring story - there are no coincidences.
Wouldn't it be neat to take silk roses and secretly put them in bushes of Catholic friends houses on this feast day as a reminder of Our Mother's love for them.