Beauty in the Blooming

Beauty is truly all around us.  Spring has arrived here in Kansas and is in full bloom everywhere you look.  Trees are flowering, grass is greening, trees are budding and the sun is shining.  But my favorite spring 'happening' is taking place right in our own front yard.  Last fall, my dear mom and sweet friend Alison surprised us by wanting to plant some beautiful tulips for us in Luke's honor.  At that time, the days were cold. Darkness fell early, the wind was brisk and our hearts were shattered still trying to process how we would be losing our beloved sweet Luke in a matter of weeks. We were struggling to contemplate anything- let alone something hopeful and lovely like planting bulbs.  It was an overwhelming gift.

Then, after Luke's passing, some of my cousins and dear ones on my mother's side of the family pooled their funds and purchased an adorable little cherub for our garden.  A sweet little guy (whom we of course have named Luke) upon whose peaceful little hand is perched a small tiny little bird.  He is absolutely perfect and they gave him to us in memory of Luke- so that he would always be with us in our yard and garden in the years to come. Welcoming the growth and beauty around him while watching over us as our family grows and as we come and go.  Joe and I were completely blown away by everyone's thoughtfulness.

Our little Luke statue arrived shortly after Luke passed and you see, my extended family members were unaware of Luke's sleeping tulips that had been planted months before and were hopefully going to be blooming when spring arrived.  But Joe and I knew we had the perfect spot to put him when the time was right- but until then, I could not bear to put the little guy out in the cold snowy yard to wait for spring to arrive.  So he has been sitting on our counter in the kitchen keeping us company there....until recently. 

I remember crying my eyes out at how God was caring for us in such personal detail....so much that he was even seeing to it that we would have something beautiful to watch for in the spring.  Something beautiful that would both cause our hearts to hope and think of our sweet Luke at the same time.  Something beautiful that He would raise up from the cold, frozen ground when the time was exactly right.  Life that only He could bring forth...both from the ground and our hearts as well.  Even during the darkest season of my life I knew and believed with every ounce of faith I had that He would be watching over our lives and He would know exactly when to bring out the beauty...and it seemed only fitting that our little Luke angel should be sitting right in the middle of it all.... so we waited.

                     ....and we watched the special spot waiting for the miracle and beauty to begin...

...and then...all of the sudden....it was time!

....and almost overnight - Luke's tulips were growing so tall and about to burst into full bloom...

and then...they did!  And wouldn't you know, the beauty was not just outside, but it also somehow managed to seep into our hearts and bloom there too.  There is nothing quite as amazing as the realization of new life springing forth in your own heart right when you least expect it....Especially after a particularly long, hard and difficult winter...both literally and figuratively!

I adore this photo.  Its of Joe wrangling the camera trying to somehow capture the tulips and the cirrus clouds overhead. You may not be able to tell, but that is Joe's head in the lower right corner...be still my heart!

He did such a great job! Got the tulips, "Luke" AND the cirrus clouds!  Great job Dad!

We deeply thank you Alison, Mom, Pam, Gene, Michael, Anna, Nathan, Kim, Bill, Carly, Will, Stephanie, Bill, Henry, Olivia, Brad, Carol Michelle and Bob for being so thoughtful of our little family.  Thank you for adding to the beauty in our lives and for creating a truly special and meaningful springtime ritual that our current and future family members will treasure watching for years to come.  Our hearts overflow with gratitude for your beautiful gift.

And a special thank you to God for bringing forth beauty all around us after our heart's long, long winter.  Thank you for the reminders everywhere that life continues and how if you watch closely enough in time, there will be blooms and blossoms everywhere- exactly when you least expect it.  We thank you for being the God of renewed life and beauty. We have never been more grateful.