12/03/2025
This sounds like part of my life story..
https://www.facebook.com/share/1634MBj9UZ/?mibextid=oFDknk
Several years ago,
as I was hurriedly
making my way through
a home do-it-yourself store,
I just happened to spot
a beautiful mauve-colored calla lily
on the endcap of one of the aisles.
Knowing I am not a gardener,
and knowing this bulb flower
would probably be
better off with anyone
other than me,
I still made my way
straight to this plant
and proudly placed it
in my cart.
And amazingly,
for the last several years,
this plant has been
surviving
life with me.
I've never planted it outside.
In fact, it is still
in the same small container
I purchased it in that day -
which is why surviving
is the only appropriate word
to describe what this plant
has been doing.
Early last week
as I was re-arranging
the corner of my bedroom
nearest my window,
I casually reached over
and picked up
the container that is
home to my calla lily.
And lo and behold,
as I did,
I spotted a teeny, tiny
itty bitty green tip
peeking out
of the dry dirt.
Remembering I had a bag
of potting soil in the garage,
and noticing the dirt
in this old container
was barely two or so
inches deep,
I quickly went to work.
"Look at you, baby.
You are amazing.
I'm so sorry,
but in order to help you grow
and give you some much needed
nurtrient-rich soil,
I am going to have
to cover you with more dirt.
I'm going to have to bury you again."
I no sooner had spoken the words
before my heart and my mind
flashbacked to the last nine years
of my own life.
Nine years ago,
I lost my husband.
His loss found me
deep in grief
and fighting
to find my way
back up
to some
kind of normalcy.
A few months later
as I was barely
starting to see
a little sunshine,
I lost my job -
serving at a church -
a job that didn't
feel like a job,
but felt like family
and next to my husband,
was all I had.
The loss of my purpose
and my position there -
not to mention
the loss of my spiritual family -
felt just like dirt
being thrown on me.
I felt completely buried.
With no husband,
and no job -
but never
without my God -
I tried making
my way back up
to the surface of life
a second time.
The struggle
was so hard
and the growth,
so slow.
Two years later -
by God's grace
and with new leadership
at the church where I
had previously been employed,
I was re-employed.
I finally felt as though
I was starting to make
some progress
in a forward direction.
For a few months.
Until a health scare
for my elderly mother
made it clear
she was in need of
a fulltime caregiver.
I said goodbye
once again to my job,
to my church family,
to my home of 30 years,
and moved to a
new state
and into a new home
with my mother.
Now - four years later,
I feel as though
I am once again
starting to push
my way upward.
And I see it all so clearly now.
All the time it felt like
I was being buried
through the trials
of grief,
of rejection,
of surrender,
of goodbye,
I was actually
in the hands
of my loving God -
(we always are!)
Through each
"dirtload" of sorrow,
God amazingly
grew my faith,
grew my strength,
grew my courage,
grew my ability to love
and to forgive,
grew my desire
to surrender to His will,
grew. me. up.
As I patted the
new soil on top
of the now buried
calla lily sprout,
tears began to
fall from my eyes,
landing on the dry dirt.
"Oh, Father God -
just look at me now.
All those years
of just trying to survive -
but through it all,
here I am.
And not only that,
I feel as though,
I am finally in a place
where I can start to thrive.
My roots in You, Lord,
have grown so deep.
Your Spirit has
watered me so faithfully.
Your Word has enriched,
nourished and sustained me.
Thank you, Father God,
for Your promise to
use all things for good.
I see the work
of Your hand
and I am forever grateful."
And if plants
could talk,
I have a feeling
my calla lily
might feel the same way.
For just this morning,
I saw it once again
peeking through
the new layer of dirt -
only this time
it was thicker
than just a few days before,
no longer just surviving,
but now beginning to thrive.
Yes, the Master Gardner
knows what is best.
How thankful I am
to forever
be in His care.~❤
~Stacy L. Sanchez
