Dear Hugh, All the pretty flowers

Honey, it is past impossible for me to believe that this time last year we were planning to go to the International Flower and Garden Festival  You always loved flowers, actually all kinds of plants and  you knew all the names, not the common names but the long, proper and fancy hard to say names.

If I have reminded you of this story, just put me on ignore and continue your daily conversation with Jesus.  But I was reminded of the story as I was meeting with Brandon today… you know he is the fellow that you wanted to take care of the yard. Well he is doing a lovely job. (I still can not part with your mower)

So back to my story. We were laughing today about how organized and what a planner you were and how methodical and SSSloooooowwww you were with that process.  We were not married yet but you were wanting to do a landscape plan at your house, so you got out your drawing paper, the fancy kind with the clear stuff and the copy paper and all that jazz. You planned and planned and changed your mind 100 times because you wanted it just right. You were careful about what plants were near what plants and you wanted to make sure the soil was proper and the light was the correct angle and duration. Oh how my head hurt just thinking of it.

So I in my  standard fly by the seat of my pants fashion woke up the next day and piled every pretty flower that I found at Lowes in the back of my ride,  with no other plan than to lump all the pretty together. I dug and planted and watered and threw them all out there and voila… I had a garden in most every corner of my yard!!!

I am so thankful that you were okay with my lack of plans and I just enjoyed your constant plans. I am thankful that you were okay with me running in circles while you sat in your criss cross apple sauce fashion. You just watched me run and I just watched you sit and be calm.

It really was a precious life, very colorful because of me and very peaceful because of you. God really did bring two perfectly imperfect people together that brought out and celebrated the very best in each other. He also gave us the gift of laughter with each other, lest we take our selves too seriously.

We will miss you so very much and none of us will know the  flower names or be able to pronounce the names but as we attempt it , we will think of you and know that You and Jesus have it going on!!!   This time of year and all that it represents has me missing you terribly and in the same token has me so grateful that God shared me with you all those years.

with the greatest and longest reaching love!!!

Your adoring wife

ps. The kids got me a Japanese maple (ok really Carl and Erica did but you get the point)

pps. We are building the whole back Garden area around that tree since it was your fave. I even did some planning!!! No kidding, I really really did.