Ran into a dear Friend a few weeks ago…a person whom I had not seen for several years. Our paths first crossed while we were both serving in “somewhat” different capacities for one of our regional health centers. This person, and I, became, at first, casual friends; then, as Time wore-on, the Friendship strengthened. We gradually realized, that although our two areas of talents were “different,” that, in the final analysis, the effects of our efforts were basically identical.
A “CHANCE” MEETING???
When I first met this incredible Artist, she was dressed in her usual work attire…including the wide-brimmed hat to shield her (somewhat) from the eternal rays of the Sun…an item which I NOW mimic whenever I also am outside working. Her boots and gloves were coated with shades of the soil in which she created her masterpieces.
As I approached, and introduced myself, she stopped in her work and took the valuable Time to speak with me.
What initially drew me to what she was doing that day was a by-product of my insatiable attraction to all the aspects of gardening. HOWEVER….what she was doing was NOT simply “gardening,” but the creation of an incredible and inspiring natural environment…an environment which would serve to transport those who were journeying through the midst of their cancer treatments, to a world of Peace, Beauty, and Calmness.
She explained, that those courageously battling this horrible disease, could find relief from their pain and distress through walking among the elements of the world which she was in the process of creating.
Moreover, as studies had revealed, one’s immune system responds positively when one is relaxed and enjoying the pursuit of Creativity…no matter in what form.
WE SPOKE THE SAME LANGUAGE…
She, as our conversation progressed, explained what else was the basis of her involvement in her current Creation. She (like myself) had suffered a heart-rending loss of a dear relative in this battle. The environment which was NOW being created by her hands, would serve as a dedication to the Loved-One who had journeyed onward. It was an Act, a Creation, spun entirely from Love…a remembrance, and a Pathway to Peace and Success.
THEN…she asked me what my presence at this venue involved.
WELL…I described, in overview, what my Art was…what I was in the current process of creating for the center…who had brought me to the place…and, finally WHY I was creating the work which would eventually be installed within the facility.
After my explanation, we both simply paused for what seemed an Eternity.
WE understood that we were both motivated by IDENTICAL motivations…that we were using all the Creative Forces and Talents which we possessed to obtain identical goals.
Eventually, we parted that day to once again, return to what we were previously doing…her to the creation of the magical garden, me to run-around like a complete lunatic!
YESTERDAY…
When I returned home after receiving my current treatments yesterday, I anxiously changed into my Earth-stained gardening clothes...donned my wide-brimmed funky hat…gathered my tools…and entered into our garden area. As my first name indicates, I am, and always have been, a person of the soil (GEOrge).
But yesterday afternoon, after several hours in the delicious Sunlight, what I finally took the Time to observe and realize will remain within my Spirit for all the remainder of my Life.
When my dear Mom left us nearly fifteen years ago, Carolyn and I purchased a tiny container of Forget-Me-Nots and planted them in a somewhat indiscreet section of our garden…never expecting them to survive, but installing them as a simple act of Remembrance.
What I FINALLY realized yesterday, was that this very, VERY tiny batch of Forget-Me Not blossoms had not only survived, but over the course of more than a decade had nearly blanketed EVERY corner of a raised bed of the garden! How could I EVER have been so unobservant? The message is, and always has been, exactly what the name of these blossoms whisper into our Hearts.
SO...there I was, kneeling in the soil, surrounded by all the Love and Beauty which I had, over the past few years, placed into the background of my Life.
A CHANCE MEETING??? NAHHH!!!
In retrospect, when I parked my vehicle, and started into the health venue which I had previously served, and was now a patient thereof. There stood my Dear Friend, dressed indelicately as she was when we first met all those years ago…BABE SHELBY. She was there creating the same Artwork as she always has. Her efforts are beyond compare or description.
There she was, welcoming me once again…and through her Art, indicating what we had both held in Belief.
Although Time and the development of the Center has replaced both my Phoenix, and Babe’s original Garden, the original message contained in both will NEVER be erased.
BY THE WAY…when my sculpture was initially installed, it was adjacent to Babe’s original Garden at the facility…the paths and blossoms she had created were always in full-view of my Creation. Folks could not possibly view one without the other.
Thanks, my Dear Friend, for all that you have done over the course of your talents to encourage and sustain MANY, MANY aspects of our Community!
MOREOVER…many “THANKS” for being there when I arrived for my first treatment several weeks ago…and for being there again yesterday as I reached the Halfway mark.
AND those Forget-Me- Nots…they will remind me always of Everybody and Everything in Life.
I will NOT forget EVER again!