It was the day before my mother's seventy-sixth birthday and I still hadn't made up my mind what to give her. She was living in a nursing home and couldn't have a lot of personal things with her.
I finally called my sister to see what she thought. She told me that she'd heard our mother say she would love a red geranium, but she hadn't seen any that were big enough for a lovely gift.
As I drove home from work that afternoon, I whispered a short prayer. "Lord, I need something extra special for my mom's birthday. Something cheerful that I can afford. Something that will last awhile."
My purse was pretty flat. The greenhouse was on my way home, so I pulled in and parked. I trudged wearily up the slight incline and pushed the door open and went in.
Facing me sat the prettiest red geranium I had ever seen! It had four large clusters in full bloom, and on closer inspection, I saw four more clusters just budding out. I breathed my, "Thank you, Lord!" and wondered why I was so surprised.
"How much is it?" I asked the girl at the counter. She answered, "Four-fifty, plus a dollar if you want it wrapped."
"It's an answer to a prayer," I told her. "All the geraniums I've seen are bedding plants." And as I signed the card, she tucked a red ribbon bow at the base of the plant.
I could hardly wait to deliver it and when I walked into my mom's room, her smile said it all! She was as excited as if I'd given her an expensive treasure. "I've wanted one for so long. Oh, honey, it's so beautiful! Did you see the buds?"
I told her it was an answer to a prayer and she raised her eyes toward heaven and breathed a quiet, "Thank You, Lord!"
The flowers bloomed on and on, and new clusters of buds formed. God is so good!
--Eva Young