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At the age of 32, T. Suzanne Eller discovered that she had breast cancer which had metastasized to her lymph nodes and the statistics were not great for long-term survival.  Susanne says, “After surgery, I visited with friends and loved ones who tried to find the right words to say.  No one knew what to say.  Many said the wrong things.”

It was Suzanne’s boss who surprised her with the right words. Jack had been rude, demanding and abrupt.  He was a “prickly” person.  So when he appeared in the doorway of Suzanne’s hospital room, she was surprised, but waved him in.

Without a word, he place a bundle beside me.  Inside lay several bulbs.

“Tulips,” he said.  “If you plant them when you get home, they’ll come up next spring. I just want you to know that I think you’ll be there to see them when they come up.”

Suzanne said, “Tears clouded my eyes and I reached out my hand.”

“Thank you,” I whispered. Then he turned and left.

“In a moment when I prayed for just the right word, a man with very few words said all the right things. (He gave me hope.)”

“I have seen those red-and-white striped tulips push through the soil every spring for over ten years now.”

From:  God’s Guest List, Debbie Macomber

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