When I visited Linda Douville’s garden last week, I saw lots of pretty flowers, but I was drawn to tiny pink ones that seemed to speak to me. I spent a long time trying to photograph these delicate flowers. Despite there being no wind, they were always gently moving as I tried focus on them. It was as if they were playing with me.
I don’t believe in spirits or ghosts but became less skeptical when I asked Linda about these flowers and she told me the story of Mother Shea. Mort and Pauline Shea used to live near Linda and her husband Gary. According to Linda “Mort passed away a couple of years ago. He was a wonderful man, an avid gardener, and loved by everyone who knew him.”
Before the Pandemic plagued our earth, the Grantham Garden Club would occasionally run mystery garden tours. When Mort was asked to include his garden on a tour, he was more than happy to but wasn’t well enough to lead tours himself. Linda volunteered to be his docent. To prepare, Mort walked her through his garden pointing out the various flowers and including some of their history for her to pass on to the visitors. When they came upon a patch of exquisite, pink flowers, Mort explained that they came from his mother’s garden. He called them Mother Shea’s flowers. He told her that he often gave friends the opportunity to transplant some in their own gardens. When he made that offer to Linda, she happily accepted. Years have passed, and Mother Shea’s flowers still flourish in Linda’s garden including the ones who beckoned to me.
A while ago, Linda and Gary were hiking in France and were delighted to come upon a field full of Mother Shea’s flowers. Since Spirits aren’t bound by earthly constraints, I believe that Mother Shea was sending love and affection to them for helping to keep her son's and her memory alive.
I don’t believe in spirits or ghosts but became less skeptical when I asked Linda about these flowers and she told me the story of Mother Shea. Mort and Pauline Shea used to live near Linda and her husband Gary. According to Linda “Mort passed away a couple of years ago. He was a wonderful man, an avid gardener, and loved by everyone who knew him.”
Before the Pandemic plagued our earth, the Grantham Garden Club would occasionally run mystery garden tours. When Mort was asked to include his garden on a tour, he was more than happy to but wasn’t well enough to lead tours himself. Linda volunteered to be his docent. To prepare, Mort walked her through his garden pointing out the various flowers and including some of their history for her to pass on to the visitors. When they came upon a patch of exquisite, pink flowers, Mort explained that they came from his mother’s garden. He called them Mother Shea’s flowers. He told her that he often gave friends the opportunity to transplant some in their own gardens. When he made that offer to Linda, she happily accepted. Years have passed, and Mother Shea’s flowers still flourish in Linda’s garden including the ones who beckoned to me.
A while ago, Linda and Gary were hiking in France and were delighted to come upon a field full of Mother Shea’s flowers. Since Spirits aren’t bound by earthly constraints, I believe that Mother Shea was sending love and affection to them for helping to keep her son's and her memory alive.
