Peace in the petals

“I was always a worrywart, especially when it came to my only daughter, Christina. So like any overprotective mother, I was a mess when she took a temporary job in Paris. My desire for her to see the world and be her own woman warred with my desire for her to be safe. Christina had never been out of the country, and I drove myself crazy with all the ‘what-ifs.’ But after weeks of preparation, we finally said our goodbyes and she boarded the plane. I kept telling myself it was only for a few months and she promised to call me as soon as she got settled.

“Late that afternoon when I arrived home from the airport, my stomach still in my throat with worry and sadness, I caught a blaze of color in the flower beds in front of my house.

That’s odd, I thought. Those bulbs

have been dormant for years. But for whatever reason, the bulbs that Christina and I had planted together were in full bloom.

As I stared in awe at the soft pink tulips, a wave of peace washed over me and I knew deep in my heart that my sweet, adventurous daughter was going to be just fine.

“Just then, my cell phone rang. It was

Christina. ‘Mom, I’m safe and it’s so wonderful here.

Please don’t worry about me,’ she said. I felt my skin prickle as I beamed, mistyeyed. ‘You’ll never guess what the house I’m staying in has in the front garden,’ Christina added. ‘Pretty pink tulips!’”

—Roxanne Butler, 58, Dearborn, MI