The Rose Garden

On Wednesday, I took my mother to the International Rose Test Garden in Portland to see the roses in bloom. Mom is visiting from Maine and staying with me until July 19th. We had gone to get her a new camera earlier in the day, and she had thousands of beautiful roses as her test subjects. When we got home, she accidentally deleted all the pictures. No problem, though. We'd just go back.

Mom at the Rose Garden

Yesterday, before we went back to the Rose Garden, I saw a Facebook post from Sue Reich. It was a picture of seven white roses, and someone had left them in her yard on the seventh anniversary of the day her son, Stephen Reich, was killed in action while on a rescue mission in Afghanistan. Once we arrived at the Rose Garden, I couldn't stop thinking about Sue.

There were thousands and thousands of roses in full bloom, all colors, every variety you could imagine. The aroma of roses permeated the air. Visitors from all around the world were there. It was peaceful. Harmonious. I found myself particularly drawn to the yellow roses, because I understand they are a symbol of friendship. In one patch there were two perfect yellow roses together. Two friends. That's the picture I sent to Sue.

We wandered around for a while, blissfully enjoying the roses and snapping pictures. If you're ever in Portland, be sure to visit the Rose Garden!

On the way back the parking lot, still thinking about Sue, I spotted a plaque on the stairs. The words perfectly summed up the experience. I think I'll probably always think of Sue, and Stephen, too, whenever I go to the Rose Garden.