You Can Grow That October 4, 2012   Loving Remembrance through a Gardener’s Plant

My dear friend, Ruth, who is now in her nineties, no longer lives nearby.  We knew each other at first through her need for help in her home.  Eventually, I helped her in her gardens, as well.  We became good friends.  We shared.  And we still share.

I feel some sadness at her aging.  And that she is alone, far away.  I write some.  I try to call, but she is very hard of hearing.

The couple who bought her home continue to employ me for their gardens.  And they have one plant remaining from Ruth, inside the attached greenhouse .  It is a night-blooming Cereus.  I took a cutting last year.  I put it outside for the summer in a shady spot.

And then, I was surprised to see a bud forming.  Just one.  I brought it in last week when I thought it was about to open.  And it did, that night.  One beautiful, fragrant blossom.  For Ruth.  For me.

She was thrilled when I reached her and carefully, patiently told  her.  It made her happy.  Her plant lives on.  Her life lives on.  A woman.  Her joy.  A plant.  A friend.  One blossom.