From the Garden | NeNe’s Legacy

More than future flowers are stored within the cells of a bare bulb.

Last year my friend, Cindy, gave me two amaryllis bulbs from her Grandmother’s garden. Having met NeNe and experienced her kindness, I understood what a precious gift I’d received. Cindy thought enough of our friendship to share part of her beloved grandmother with me. I carried the paper-wrapped bundle in my lap on the ride home.

Upon my return from Alabama, I planted the bulbs in the best-dug hole possible. And waited for spring. Tiny stalks poked from the ground in early March, and I carefully covered them from the frosty mornings.  When the flower formed, I calculated the days until they would open, only to realize I would likely be out of town when they bloomed. Fortunately on the morning of my trip, I was able to capture the attached photo.

While waiting, I contemplated the gifts I will leave. What treasure will my children and grandchildren share as a symbol of love, friendship, and affinity? A cutting from my garden, a recipe, a copy of one of my books? Will they look at zinnias and be reminded of me as I am of my Grandmother-in-Alabama when I see a dahlias?

If so, I couldn’t ask for a better legacy than to have my family share with a friend something that reminds them of the love I have for them—just as Cindy did.