Surprise lilies are these beautiful lilies with large pink petals and long stems.  They show up in the summer suddenly, blooming overnight.  They were one of my mother’s favorite flowers.  She always wanted to have them in her yard and, in fact, she and I talked about trying to find some bulbs and planting them.  But because of her cancer, we never got around to it.

This morning I looked outside and discovered surprise lilies growing in my backyard very near to the place I planted a small memorial flower bed for Mom.

All I wanted was to be able to pick up the phone and call her to tell her that I had surprise lilies growing in my yard.  I can hear her reaction in my mind right now.  But I couldn’t call her so I put my head into my husband’s chest and just sobbed.

I called my sister and told her about the flowers.  She said God gave Mom permission to plant some lilies in my yard.  I have to laugh thinking about Mom in heaven pestering God because she just wants to garden some more.

So Mom sent me lilies.  Thanks, Mom, they’re beautiful.

P.S. That’s a pic from a few years ago, after Mom took my daughters around our old neighborhood and stole the surprise lilies from the neighbors’ yards to make a bouquet.  I told them it was wrong to steal from the neighbors but I laughed and took a pic anyway.