Memories and Memorials in the Yard

My yard holds some special memories. When I first moved to Bay Shore in 1984, one of the first persons I made a pastoral call to was Gretel Roth. She had MS. She was confined to a wheel chair and had no use of her arms or legs. She was a lady with a great deal of grace and dignity. Few people have handled a terminal disease so gracefully. A few days before she died some years later the doctor wrote on her chart, "Inappropriately cheerful". He was right. She knew where she was going. She is now in heaven.

On a visit to her home one day she asked me if I liked Sweet Pea which was in bloom in her garden. I told her it was lovely. The next time I went to see her there was an envelope with my name on it with sweet pea seeds in it. I followed her instructions and to this day I have never failed to have these beautiful blossoms adorning my garden each summer.

They bring back fond memories of a lady
now with Jesus who was a blessing to me.

In my front yard I have a little garden set up in memory of my brother, Mark.

It is lined with stones from the creek on my parent's property upstate. My Uncle John who is now with Mark in heaven helped me put it in. They were two peas in a pod- always making us laugh. I can't wait to see them again.

In the backyard is a beautiful azalea.

It has been a reminder of my grandmother, Rose Biggs. She loved them and I still have recollections of her coming to our yard in Bellmore in May 1959 on Mother's Day, seeing the azalea there in bloom and praising the LORD for the beauty of his creation. She is now praising her Savior in His Presence, in the land where the roses never fade. She left us a legacy of love.


Behind the azalea on the left is a childhood memory. It is Honeysuckle. I found out how to transplant it and did so a few years back. It has come in so well and give sthe yard such a beautiful fragrance. It reminds of the days of my youth in Bellmore when we would take time to do crazy things like pull the flowers off the honeysuckle for that single drop of nectar. I am glad I am still a kid at heart!