The Amaryllis

Pretty early in the pregnancy, I was diagnosed with placenta previa. The docs very frankly told me that I might have to spend much of the pregnancy on complete or modified bedrest and that we would most likely have a preterm baby, delivered via planned c-section. Upon hearing this news, my mom quickly said a prayer to her dad (my grandpa). She asked that he hold the baby in my womb for as long as possible. She also asked that he show her some sort of "sign" that he had heard her wishes and that we would both be OK. While I am not really the praying type, maybe there is some validity to this .... because I have to admit, I have had a rather uneventful pregnancy.

My mom swears that the mysterious blooming of this amaryllis was the 'sign' from her dad that he heard her prayer. She put the amaryllis bulb under a table in the laundry room around christmas time after it had bloomed a bright red color. The plant had not been watered, nor had it seen much light, and these plants are only supposed to bloom once a year. She found the plant ready to bloom again, shortly after she asked her dad to look after me and the unborn baby. She pulled it out from under the table, put it in light, gave it a drink of water, and then watched as it bloomed into a beautiful light pink flower.

I am sure there is a more rational explanation for why this plant bloomed twice in a year, or why it bloomed a different color the second time, or why I have not had any complications associated with the placenta previa, but a bit of mysticism has given us all hope. Not to mention, the story makes me hopeful that baby Carolyn will be happy and healthy upon her arrival. Steve and I can't wait to meet this little girl, and I now wonder if my grandpa has somehow already met her.