It has been awhile since my last post and there have been tremendous changes in our business and personal lives since that post. Over the years we had become aware of the fact that patients facing cancer and their families have been walking through our display gardens to gain inner peace and simply enjoy the tranquility of the gardens as a respite from the challenges they were/are facing.

That fact was brought home to me on September 13 when my 56 year old sister called me to tell me she had run out of options in her cancer treatment and she had 2 weeks to a month left on her journey here on earth. My sister was a relatively private person and had told no one in the family of her challenges 1000 miles away from us. I now realize that was because of her great inner strength and probably not wanting to worry my 80 year old parents until she had no option.

During her call to us, she had asked if I would be able to travel to Denver to be with her during these final days and my response was of course....yes. She knew I am not a great fan of flying and so I took a cross country train trip that was to change my life in ways that I could not imagine when I began.

During my train trip, I met great people from all over the country who were on their way to points hither and yond to do this and that. I had one of my most enjoyable conversations in years with an autistic adult who was excited about everything in life and could tell me just about anything I wanted to know.....which taught me.......that we are all challenged, just in different ways, some challenges more visible than others.

While I was in Denver, I experienced a food bagger at a Soopers Supermarket in Denver who was severely mentally and physically challenged and worked with a smile and kept right up with the cashier..........or when I was in the train station in Chicago and looked up to see a woman grab a blind man by his arm who was having difficulty negotiating the station and take him to where he was attempting to go. Or the hospice worker who was taking care of my sister who I asked, "What do you like best about doing this?" her response was that she considered it a gift to be asked to care for people during their final days and people in hospice care did not judge her skills by the color of her skin (she happened to be an African-American)..........

And my sister's friend Bobbie with whom she worked at the library and who was given three weeks paid time to be with my sister to care for her. And Bobbie's husband who was so understanding that his wife was taking care of my sister. Before hospice came in she would sleep at my sister's bedroom door at night on the floor to insure she didn't miss anything that my sister might need.

And the entire staff of the Agape Hospice from Greenwood, Co. who could not have possibly been more helpful to my parents, myself, my brother or of course my sister. These hospice members are special people and soften the heartache.

I told my sister I had to leave late on Tuesday the 20th and gave her a big hug, told her I love her and that her spirit would continue in the healing gardens we create and the funds we raise for hospcie care. She and I sat and listened to a couple of her favorite CD's one afternoon and it was some of the most peaceful time I have ever spent.........

My return train was late in leaving from Denver and I was fortunate to have a sleeper car and my room faced south and the full moon. As I listend to John Tesh's love songs album and watched the dance of the silouhettes of the large trees on the plains of Eastern Colorado and Western Nebraska, unbeknownst to me, my sister was drawing her last breaths as I listened to the music and tears ran down my cheeks as I thought of my sister.

I relate the above to you only to share with you why I have this newfound importance of developing our non-profit foundation healinggardens.org to raise funds to create healing gardens whereever they are needed and to also raise additional funds to insure everyone can have the gift of hospice caring for you in your home during your final days here on earth.

If you would like to help us, either as a national sponsor, or need help to organize the people necessary to build a healing garden in your area, please contact us through our website at http://www.gardenhaus.com

I feel lucky to love what I do and have always loved gardening since I began mowing lawns when I was about 12.......I now have even a greater drive to not only make our businesses successful, but to also share our expertise to create healing gardens.........