There was an amazing God moment this morning where Riley was concerned. I’m sure you are all shocked :) As we pulled up to Jenn’s I went and let her out of the car, she looked down at the grass and sadly said there are no dandelions but immediately she cheered up as she noticed some little purple flowers in the grass. As we walked to the door she asked me “Did my Mommy go to a babysitter?” and I told her yes she did. Then laughing she asked “Did my Mommy ever wear her pajamas to the babysitter like me?” because Riley was still in her PJ’S wrapped up in her owl blanket. Smiling I pulled her to me and said yes that even sometimes her Mommy got dressed in the car because she was always running so late. We knocked on the door and Jenn told me she had to tell me something about how God had spoken to her and it had to do with Riley, dandelions, and Alexis. I was floored because Riley had just spoken about dandelions and for the VERY FIRST TIME she asked me questions about Alexis as a child but I needed to go to work so Jenn said she would text me. Below is the jest of this encounter. Just yesterday as I was praying for my friend Shannon and her Husband Chris I noticed one of her friends had a picture of a dandelion as their profile picture which led me to look at the photo Alexis took of Riley trying to blow the dandelion with all her might. Here is how this all unfolded with God’s amazing GRACE. I love him so.
From Jenn:
Riley and the Dandelion
One day we were walking on our way home from school. Riley picked a dandelion. I watched her blow it & a few pieces blew away. She blew again with all her might, but some wouldn't budge. Riley said,"Jenn! Will you help me?!" , in her kind of bossy Riley way.: )) Holding the flower up very seriously. I said, “Sure." while blowing the other pieces away. She said, “I wish my mommy back." Holding her eyes shut tight. Then got quiet for a minute and said, “God loves me...I'm a flower and I'm going to bloom." It was like something she had heard and just repeated. She said it with certainty...I about fell apart... Riley then said "Jenn will you keep my flower?" and then she smiled and ran on playing with the kids like nothing just happened. It was a definite wow God moment. The truth she just knows never ceases to amaze me. She is amazing, because she knows God's love for her. That's something that takes some a lifetime to "get".
More confirmation from God about Riley and the Dandelion : ))
From Jenn again : ))
I was looking up a tattoo image & found this blog this girl posted after a loss. The tattoo image was arrows with dandelion ends. It was Amazing. What dandelions represent is just too cool. I thought of Roo & how God has spoken so much to me through her. Hopefully this makes sense.
That God will be true to His word when He says that He will never leave me or forsake me (Deut. 31:6)
That God will work all things together for my good (Romans 8:28).
That God will give me beauty for my ashes (Isaiah 61:3).
That God will turn our grief into joy (John 16:19-22).
That my present suffering won’t even compare to the glory that will be revealed in me (Romans 8:18).
That I will get to see her beautiful face again (2 Cor. 5:8)!!
That this is not the end but only the beginning; and that “each chapter will be better than the one before” (The Last Battle- CS Lewis).
The significance and a few facts about the dandelion:
Each head on a dandelion can produce anywhere from 60-100 seeds.
The Dandelion starts out as a yellow flower and then changes into the fluffy flower we are all familiar with. It is constantly changing and evolving.
The dandelion is considered beneficial to other plants because its root will bring up nutrients for shallower rooting plants, and adds minerals and nitrogen to the soil.
It will grow and thrive in some of the most inhospitable environments, whereas many other plants cannot survive.
How does that relate to my experience with Riley ? Even though the dandelion is considered a weed, it always produces seeds that bring forth a beautiful flower.
God will always produce something beautiful from our weeds! He’s in the business of making all things beautiful (Eccl. 3:11)!!! He will use our horrible loss to make something so incredibly magnificent!! He will produce more seeds from this than we can ever imagine (Eph. 3:20)!!
Riley Roo is in a great environment, but losing your mom is extremely inhospitable and some people are just a mess forever, but God is blooming her beautifully. He is speaking to her & comforting her. She is amazing because she knows God's love for her. (:
I just love that Jenn takes care of my Roo . Riley and I are so very blessed : ))