Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

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    Yes, I was all set to plant a replacement of a beautiful purple bush, called "Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow,"  The flowers start out as dark purple, then fade to a light purple, and then a soft lavender within three days.  The original bush was flourishing on the property, ever since we moved here in March of 1989.  About eight years ago, my friend, Brett, was doing yard work and somehow accidentally cropped the bush too much. It never recuperated and slowly withered and died in shock with no leaves!  I prayed for many years that somehow the leafless bush would magically spring back to life- but it never did...I thought it would be a symbol of reincarnation, and I would talk to it...Really. Like I said eight years had passed. 
     Unbeknownst to me, my best friend, Rodney ordered a new purple bush from the nursery a week or so ago, and I was all set to plant the replacement today in honor of the commemoration of my friend, Brett's death, two years ago today. (He had a rare brain cancer).  As I began to clear the roots, for the replanting, I was astonished to find that there were seven healthy, green leaves springing from the "dead"  Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow plant.  It wasn't dead after all!  Perhaps there was some deeper symbolism here, about our perceptions of the living and dead and the garden is the perfect place to start. Eventually I returned the potted bush to the nursery for a future purchase. I still "talk" to my plants, (carbon dioxide = breath).
     I really feel my prayer had been answered and that royal purple bush will again flourish and flower, after years of bare branches. I also believe that my gardener friend, Brett's spirit visits my garden, where he spent many hours making natural things more beautiful.  I am really lucky to report that my Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow, is really three in one, and quite alive all along.  God Bless You, dearest Brett Willis.

Grief

Grief is a thief.
It breaks your heart
And tears you apart
With its cruel teeth.

Alive, I strive in disbelief
At the gravity of a slow death;
The depth of pain unspoken,
The last tokens of dignity, bereft.

And yet I know that today it is raining,
The tears of Man remain to be wept again,
Upon the dearth of Mother Earth’s tall forests.

Still, sadness percolates the pool with tiny circles.
Memories pour in, unfiltered by my open-mindedness.
And in that big moment, the window of showers is brief.
Reminding me that everything is counted, even our breaths.

Death will steal us all away one day, leaving our ashes behind
A dusty Phoenix sky.  Our souls will rise to meet our fate, and we
Will assume again our eternal state, and spy the skies through our Maker’s eyes.
With this knowledge lies an element of surprise that is ever-expanding, as well as wise.


Written by Johnathon Gallagher.                                                                   June 3, 2009   


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