Graced Moments is a reflection series in which members of the Holy Child family share experiences of God’s presence and action in their lives. Launched in 2024 with reflections from Holy Child Sisters, the series expands in 2026 to celebrate the launch of the Holy Child Collaborative, welcoming voices from Holy Child Associates, schools, ministries, staff, alumni, and friends.

We thank Nicole Burcham, Holy Child Associate and Director of Development for South Central LAMP in Los Angeles, California, for offering this month’s reflection.

Thank you, Nicole!

Click the video below to hear Nicole’s reflection
and see photos of her mother’s rose garden!

My mother was a lifelong Catholic, deeply devoted to her faith, and her favorite saint was Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, known as the Little Flower. My mother loved flowers, especially roses, and nurtured more than a dozen rose bushes throughout her garden. Whenever I visited my childhood home, I would take photographs of them because they were extraordinary and always reminded me of her.

In late 2017, at the age of 88, my mother passed away after an almost year-long battle with lung cancer. She chose to forgo treatment and instead live her remaining time as fully as possible. Together, we took her final bucket-list trip to Cuba and spent countless hours talking about everything and nothing. Throughout that year, I made sure to cut her roses and bring them into the house for her to enjoy.

The following winter and spring, I prepared her home to be sold. After an estate sale, most of the household items were gone, and workers removed the larger pieces of furniture that had not sold. As I walked through the now-empty house, I wandered outside to my mother’s beloved rose garden. To my astonishment, sitting on the brick border beside the roses was a figurine of Saint Thérèse. In all my years living in and visiting that home, I had never seen it before. Yet there it was. The date was Sunday, April 1, 2018—Easter Sunday.

After months of grieving and the difficult task of emptying her home, this hidden reminder appeared at just the right time and place. For me, it felt like a tangible sign of my mother’s enduring faith, her continued presence in my heart, and God’s comforting assurance that love transcends death. The coincidence of finding Saint Thérèse among the roses on Easter Sunday transformed an ordinary moment into a profound experience of grace, hope, and connection.

What in Nicole graced moment resonated with you? Please share below.