Randy's Roses
Randy and Gwen married and lived in a little valley along the coast, north of San Francisco. Gwen loved the ocean. She had lived in balmy Hawaii most of her life before moving to cooler Northern California and marrying Randy.
Randy commemorated each of their ten wedding anniversaries by bringing home a rosebush and planting it for Gwen in their backyard. Over the years their yard became a rainbow of fragrant roses.
Randy took care of his sweetheart when she was diagnosed with cancer. She passed away at home, in the comfort of her own bed, with Randy by her side.
Per Gwen's wishes her body was cremated and Randy scattered her ashes in the Pacific Ocean. Along with her cremains, Randy floated a beautiful floral lei to catch the westward currents from San Francisco to Gwen's beloved Hawaiian Islands.
But Randy saved a few of the cremains for himself and stopped by the local nursery on his way home from the shore. He lovingly selected a new variety of rosebush and took it home.
Once home he prepared a hole deep enough to ensure that the new rosebush would grow. He took the remaining portion of his sweetheart's cremains and placed them among the rose's bare roots, then tampered the soil around the young plant.
Two years have passed since Randy released Gwen's cremains to the Pacific currents. After work each day he returns to their back yard and quietly waters the garden.
The new rosebush thrives.
An Excerpt from "Where the Red Tailed Hawk Flies: Love Overcomes Cancer" and "Where the Red Tailed Hawk Flies: Healing for the Heartbroken"
Copyright(c) 1999 by Red Tailed Hawk Publishing/Gabriella Graham/All rights reserved
Randy commemorated each of their ten wedding anniversaries by bringing home a rosebush and planting it for Gwen in their backyard. Over the years their yard became a rainbow of fragrant roses.
Randy took care of his sweetheart when she was diagnosed with cancer. She passed away at home, in the comfort of her own bed, with Randy by her side.
Per Gwen's wishes her body was cremated and Randy scattered her ashes in the Pacific Ocean. Along with her cremains, Randy floated a beautiful floral lei to catch the westward currents from San Francisco to Gwen's beloved Hawaiian Islands.
But Randy saved a few of the cremains for himself and stopped by the local nursery on his way home from the shore. He lovingly selected a new variety of rosebush and took it home.
Once home he prepared a hole deep enough to ensure that the new rosebush would grow. He took the remaining portion of his sweetheart's cremains and placed them among the rose's bare roots, then tampered the soil around the young plant.
Two years have passed since Randy released Gwen's cremains to the Pacific currents. After work each day he returns to their back yard and quietly waters the garden.
The new rosebush thrives.
An Excerpt from "Where the Red Tailed Hawk Flies: Love Overcomes Cancer" and "Where the Red Tailed Hawk Flies: Healing for the Heartbroken"
Copyright(c) 1999 by Red Tailed Hawk Publishing/Gabriella Graham/All rights reserved