Two Pink Roses for a Little Girl

A lady named Ridvaniyyih Khanum told this story about 'Abdu'l-Bahá and her little daughter:

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The Master came to visit her child when she was sick. With Him He brought two pink roses which He gave to the little one, and then turning to the lady He said in His musical voice so full of love: "Be patient."

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That evening the child passed away. Afterwards 'Abdu'l-Bahá said to the mother: "Ridvaniyyih, there is a Garden of God. Human beings are trees growing therein. The Gardener is Our Father. When He sees a little tree in a place too small for her development, He prepares a suitable and more beautiful place, where she may grow and bear fruit. Then He transplants that little tree. The other trees marvel, saying: 'This is a lovely little tree. For what reason does the Gardener uproot it?'

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"The Divine Gardener, alone, knows the reason.

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"You are weeping, Ridvaniyyih, but if you could see the beauty of the place where she is, you would no longer be sad.

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"Your child is now free, and, like a bird, is chanting divine joyous melodies.

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"If you could see that sacred Garden, you would not be content to remain here on earth. Yet this is where your duty now lies."

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(Adapted from The Chosen Highway by Lady Blomfield; ‘Varqa Children's Magazine’, vol. 1, no. 2, May–June 1981)

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