It's National Gardening Day! And the reason I am celebrating today is because of my dear mom.
The picture above is from our wedding rehearsal dinner at the Smoke house in Burbank, 1981. It was a happy night, as Robert and I celebrated with our families and our wedding party the day before our nuptials.
I give my mom a lot of credit for the joy of our wedding day, and our wedding planning, because it was a beautiful time in our lives despite the fact that the year before something very tragic happened to her, and to me.
The year before I married Robert, my dad died suddenly. He entered the hospital for gall bladder surgery and had a heart attack which he did not survive. That was in January. On Christmas Eve of that same year, Robert asked me to marry him.
My mom never skipped a beat. She was elated for us, and went into mother-of-the-bride mode immediately. She did not let her mourning, or her widowhood overshadow the joy of our upcoming celebrations.
But I know it was hard for her to do it alone. And I have always been sad that my dad didn't get to walk me down the aisle. But my mom did.
How lucky I was to have her by my side.
And she's been by my side ever since - today inspiring me to be in the garden, and find joy in her irises. Thanks, mom. Miss you every day.