My Grandmother's Garden

The summer of 2010 will always hold a place in my memory as a time of the highest highs and the lowest lows. In April 2009, my Grandma Remke went from living independently in relatively good health to living in a nursing home with declining quality of life. Overnight, it seemed, she became completely dependent upon the care of others.

When I was a little girl, my Grandma Mounts (lovingly referred to as "Gram" elsewhere on this blog) used to be the director of nursing at a nursing home in Bartlesville, and when I would go see her at work, my heart would break to see so many grandmas and grandpas sitting alone, staring vacantly out the window, longing for a visit from family. Their eyes always lit up at the sight of me, a gangly 12-year-old who had come to see her own grandmother.

I vowed at that moment that I would not ever allow such a thing to happen to someone I loved, and so, every weekend that I could, I would visit my Grandma Remke. Sometimes, I would take her out for ice cream. Other times, Jared would play the piano for her or Jade and I would take her outside for a bit of fresh air.

I looked forward to those visits just as much as Grandma did. This past spring and summer, my Dad got the brilliant idea to load Grandma up into the car and take her home where she could sit on the patio and enjoy her flowers. It made us all happy to see her so happy.



Grandma had an amazingly green thumb. The woman could grow anything, but mainly she grew irises and day lilies. Her backyard was awash with color this year and Dad didn't want Grandma to miss it. A woman was hired to tend Grandma's flower beds, and every week, she would bring Grandma a bouquet of flowers to enjoy.



One afternoon in early June after I'd stopped to see her, I went by her house to photograph her flowers. I had gotten the idea of having the photographs blown up and framed so that Grandma could enjoy those beautiful blooms of 2010 all year round.



Sadly, I never did get to complete my project, as Grandma passed away in early July.



A few days ago, I was looking through old photographs on my computer and found the pictures I'd snapped. I smiled as I paged through them...knowing that Grandma's garden in heaven has flowers even more beautiful and vibrant than these.



Heaven's most abundant blessings upon my Grandma, now and always...