My dad passed away on October 29th, a day I will always remember with sadness and happiness. Everyone in my family had similar feelings. We were saddened by the loss of such a dear, sweet man… but thankful and glad that he wasn’t suffering any more from the cancer that was eating up his body.

I am not a funeral going person,  because I believe a person never really dies… just the body… but the soul lives on… somewhere beautiful and eternal… and where like others… my dad is now healthy and having a grand time.

I wanted to give something to him, something real and living to honor his passing and his new experience… so I decided to plant him a garden. The garden seemed like the perfect gift to give him, because although he and my mom had retired to Arizona, he loved his native state of Texas with a passion. Planting him a garden was my way of him being back here in Texas,  in the state that he loved so much and that was his home. He would live on, with this small garden… forever.

I bought beautiful small trees and shrubs that will grow well here in the Texas climate and a small rose bush. I went out and planted these living gifts to him, one Sunday morning with mindfulness and love. I performed this planting act with a sacredness and deep sense of purpose, feeling all the while that he was smiling at me the whole time I was gardening.

The rose bush that I planted was bare of flowers the day I planted it for my dad, but two days later when I went out to tend to “his” garden, there were two small and perfect red roses that had bloomed. I was so delighted, yet somehow not surprised… because I believe in magic and miracles and all those things that can’t be explained, but happen anyway.

Bless you Pa Pa… where ever you are, and may you find peace and joy… here in your garden.

Love, Victoria