Our Easter Lily

"Ann Catherine! Look at the Easter Lilies!" I said as we walked into our grocery store.

"Mommy, they're beautiful!" she said.

I have always loved lilies. At the church Chris and I attended before our current one, you could buy Easter Lilies in memory of those you loved. We always did so in memory of our grandparents and then took them home after the Easter service.

I have always loved the beauty of a Lily. I could never have dreamed that God would give me my own one day.

But he did. And that makes me love Lilies even more.

AC and I started shopping, but a few minutes later I said, "AC, let's go back and get one." She was thrilled.

We chose one with two beautiful flowers and three buds that had yet to open. As we put it in our cart, I told her:

"Ann Catherine, lilies are special to me for two reasons. First of all, they remind me of our Lily and how God sent her to us so we wouldn't be alone. They also remind me of Melissa. Easter means that we can go to Heaven one day and see her again. So this Easter Lily makes me think of her."

AC and I talked about that as we continued shopping. We spent some time talking about Melissa and it was so special.

When we got home, AC wanted to take our Lily in the house. As we walked in, she ran to LB and said, "Lily! Look what we got for you! A Lily!"

Lily Baker's face lit up as she said, "It's MY flower! It's a Lily!" And she took it from AC, grinning from ear to ear.

It was precious.

One of the buds opened today and it is just beautiful. The girls love watching it and watering it.

This beautiful flower gives me so much peace as Easter approaches. It's a beautiful remembrance of Melissa and what she means to us. And it's a beautiful remembrance of the Lily that God sent us three and a half years ago to heal our hearts.

Thank you God for both of them.