#GrannySays: Be Like the Rain Lilies

/ Marcia Meara

About ten years ago, Mark dug up a small  Zephyr Lily, also called a Rain Lily, from a big, weedy patch along a roadside ditch and brought it home for my garden.  Over the years, I’ve enjoyed the way the lily blooms after a rain, then often disappears completely. In fact, for the last two years or so, I figured it had finally died. No sign of stems or blooms in all those months. Then we had a monster thunderstorm Friday afternoon, and yesterday, I  saw a few stems popping up. This morning, I was greeted by the pale pink splendor of my rain lilies celebrating Friday’s downpour.  

Often the lilies will bloom within 24 hours of a rain, but I suspect they really had languished, and it took a bit longer to work their way to the surface this time. Still, they persevered, and I have gorgeous pink flowers now.

Oh, sure they’ll only last a day or two, but isn’t that what makes them special? That they wait patiently for rainy days, and then shoot straight up in a display of glory? That speaks to me, and I believe there’s a lesson to be learned from this little wildflower.

The lilies show me that with determination and the right attitude, we can face drought or monsoon, and still prevail.  I don’t know about you, but I feel empowered when I see the Miracle of the Rain Lilies. Over and over, throughout the seasons, it reminds me of what we can do once we decide on our course. It’s all in our mindset. We can prevail! 

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Remember Folks:

 

45 thoughts on “#GrannySays: Be Like the Rain Lilies”

    • Aw, thanks, Darlene! I have my moments, but like everyone, I also have some plenty bad days now and then. I just try to remember: 1) it’s only a bad DAY, not the end of the world, and 2) once I’m on the other side, life will be good again.

      I appreciate your comment! And rain lilies really are amazing. Thanks so much for stopping by! 😀 ❤

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    • Thank you so much, Mae! That little clump of rain lilies is one of the few things still alive in our backyard after Hurricane Irma and the tornado that tore it apart. Yep. Those delicate looking little plants survived, when much bigger and hardier looking shrubs and trees did not. That says something right there, doesn’t it? 😀

      So glad you enjoyed the post, and thanks for letting me know! 😀 ❤

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    • Thanks so much, Gwen. I’d really thought they were gone this time, so when I looked outside at what had been empty yesterday and saw those blooms shining in the morning light, it really struck me that there was a lesson going on right in front of my eyes. I’m glad I decided to share it with everyone!

      Thanks for stopping by and taking a moment to let me know your thoughts, too. I appreciate it! 🙂

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    • They are truly beautiful, and it’s fun to watch them pop up after a rain the way they do. I just checked to see how widespread they are. Looks like there are a lot of varieties sold under different common names, though several are native to Florida, Central America, and South America. They aren’t true lilies, belonging to the amaryllis family, but you can buy bulbs for many of them at garden centers, for use in landscaping, rock gardens, etc. Might be fun to give them a try, even if in a big pot. Good luck! 🙂

      And thanks for stopping by and letting me know you enjoyed the post! 😀

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    • Thanks, Penny! Birthday was a couple of months ago, and that image is a slide I made for the new “intro” to my wildlife talks. (Got bored doing the same ol’ bio, so now I do “Six Things I’ve Learned That Make Life Better.” I give them fair warning, though. 😀 )

      Glad you enjoyed the post. 🙂

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    • You’re welcome, Priscilla. (It probably won’t be the last time I’ll be sharing it. 😀 But at least I give fair warning! 😀 )

      Rain lilies are special, for sure! 🙂 Glad you enjoyed them.

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    • They really are amazing, Debby. One day there’s nothing there, the next, the stems are standing up a foot about 14″ tall, and the next, BAM! Covered in blooms. I wish they’d stay blooming a longer time, but then, that would sort of spoil the magic of it all. 🙂 Glad you enjoyed seeing them! 😀

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  11. Wow! Never heard of rain lilies. To see something as beautiful as that, spring up from nothing must lift the spirits quite magically! Great philosophy, Marcia. I’m going to have a scout around now to find out some more about these beauties. I doubt they grow here – buy you never know! ❤

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    • Just know that they aren’t true lilies, but rather types of amaryllis. Lots of different ones, too, so what you find might be different from the wild ones around here. But they should still be beautiful. I just don’t know if all of them do the disappearing/reappearing thing or not.

      Glad you liked the post! 😀

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    • Thanks so much, Joan. Sorry I missed your comment yesterday, but happy to see it this morning. And yep, I agree. There are often lessons to be learned from nature if we take a moment to search for them. It’s especially nice when the lesson is also beautiful to LOOK at! 😀

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    • Thanks, Jan. As I was contemplating how gorgeous those pink beauties are, I realized there was a message in there somewhere. Glad you enjoyed it. And Thanks for stopping by to let me know. 🙂 (Now that I’m “officially” allowed to impart words of wisdom, expect to see more from time to time. Hahaha.)

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    • Exactly what I thought, Denise. I’m glad you enjoyed the lesson and the photo. They are already disappearing but I know they will be back right after the next rain, and I’ll be reminded of what they teach us. 😀 Thanks for stopping by and taking a moment to comment. 🙂

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    • Thanks, Sally. Glad you enjoyed the post. In Florida, it’s mostly feast or famine where rainfall is concerned. We’ve been having 93+ degrees for a couple of weeks and are heading toward triple digits in a month or so, and the rain has been scarce. At the same time, hurricane season has just gotten underway, so that could change in a heartbeat, and we could be floating away before you can blink an eye. It’s a land of extremes around here, for sure, but that rainstorm Friday was long overdue, and the lilies were reveling in the first drink they’d had in a while. 🙂 They’ve disappeared now, but they’ll return another day, and inspire me once again. 🙂

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        • I can’t imagine that much rain, but at least you do know what to expect, as you say. I’m always happy when the day is a bit overcast here, especially in the afternoon. It makes it so much easier to be outside for more than five minutes. Our sun is blazing hot! I’m already looking forward to fall. It will still be mostly warm, but the sun isn’t as blast-furnace fierce. 😯 And winter in Florida is usually wonderful. Warm, mostly sunny, with a few one-or-two-day cold snaps, which warm right back up again. If I had my way, we’d have winter temps all year long: between 40/50 degrees at night and 60/70 degrees in the day. Now THAT’s a range I could really enjoy!

          And now that we’ve lost 90% of our shade trees, it’s really hard keeping the house cool, and our power bills are soaring. 😦 Oh, well. I guess there’s pretty much always something to complain about when it comes to the weather. But this time of year, I sure do long to live on Wake-Robin Ridge!! 😀 😀 😀

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          • The winter temperatures sound lovely.. living in Spain 250 days of sunshine we had 90 to 100 degrees during the day and if we had lived in a more modern house would have taken advantage of the solar panel market especially that even in the winter with -10 at night there was bright days.. Our air con bill was huge…not a problem we have here lol. It is amazing how much share large trees throw…♥♥

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