Little did my friend Kathy know that she started me on the path towards living a life full of personal symbolism when she presented me with a rose bush in 1993. At the time, I was pregnant with my first child and was having a challenging pregnancy. At 20 weeks I had to stop commuting into New York since I was already at risk due to too much exertion. Then at 27 weeks, I had preterm labor and was rushed to the ER. The doctor was able to give me meds that quieted down the labor so I was able to go home, but then at 28 weeks I was once again being too active and had to go to the ER due to more preterm labor. I agreed to bed rest for the next 10 weeks of my pregnancy due to my fear of having my baby 12 weeks too early.
That was when Kathy and St. Therese stepped in. (Note: the rest of these blog entries will NOT be focused on saints or a particular religion. Instead they will discuss personal signs that have meaning on an individual basis—whatever your religious beliefs may be.) One day while I was on bed rest, Kathy brought me a rose bush that she then planted in my garden. Additionally, she told me stories about St. Therese, also called the Little Flower. St. Therese of Lisieux lived from 1873-1897, in France and was the youngest person ever to become a nun. She spent her life praying, philosophizing and teaching others her “little way” of kindness. Once, she wrote that after she dies, she will “spend time on earth doing good.” One of the ways St. Therese promised to do good on earth was by providing a “shower of roses” to those who follow her “little way” of kindness and pray to her in good faith. Because of this, she is always depicted with a bouquet of roses in her arms. With this, Kathy jump-started my journey into personal symbolism by giving me the rose bush in honor of my yet unborn child. During my long weeks on bedrest, I learned more about St. Therese and prayed to her daily for the health of my baby.
My prayers were answered since my daughter was born only 10 DAYS early—instead of the original 10 weeks early. In fact, my daughter Alex was born just a few days prior to the annual celebration of St. Therese’s life on September 30. Today, Alex is a healthy, vital young woman who does St. Therese’s work “doing good” on earth by devoting her life to non-profit work.
But that was just the beginning—St. Therese made me a firm believer in signs on my daughter’s Christening day. I had asked Kathy to be Alex’s godmother, and the baptism was in late November. Here in the Northeast U.S., my garden was naturally dormant. However, the morning we took Alex out for her Christening ceremony and celebratory party, St. Therese had a sign for us. On the rose bush that Kathy gave us, there was a single, beautiful rose blooming just for Alex’s special day! We couldn’t believe it and took this 29-year-old photo just to prove it!
For there is “no coincidence” when it comes to the wisdom that personal symbols can provide us all.
You can read Part 2 here!
Sign Lady 