My Mom's Tree

My mom loved trees. My last conversation I had with my mom was about her pomegranate tree. I want to say it was about 4 days before she died. 3 days before she passed away she stopped being able to communicate clearly, if at all... so this memory is very special to me.

I had gone down to visit with her and my sister Kileen was there too. My mom was cold, she was cold a lot given the fact that she had very little fat, little muscle, and probably a slowing circulation. She wanted to go sit in the sun a few minutes to warm up. Kileen and I both escorted her outside. We sat down in front of her young pomegranate tree. She spoke slowly and simply, she sounded as if she was 90 years old instead of 59. I was later able to appreciate that I got a glimpse of what it would have been like if my mom had been able to reach old age.

She started telling us about how to get the tree to fruit well in later years, the first year it fruits you have to pick off every young fruit except one. I commented how that must be hard to do, not knowing if that one that you leave will grow to maturity. She said "Oh, you have no idea" like picking them off was completely heartbreaking. Kileen and I may have said a few more things about gardening when my mom says in a happy, yet slow, voice "look at us, in the garden talking about gardening"...she made it sound like it was a dream come true.

Soon after she was feeling warm and we went back inside, she went to lay down.

I realized just today that my mom, knowing she was going to pass away before that tree really started to be fruitful, still took the time to give that tree it's best shot. She really loved growing things. She passed this love on to me, to both my brothers, to my sisters Laura and Kileen... not sure how Lorraine or Maureen feel about gardening... I think Lorraine is too busy and Maureen isn't in a house yet...I didn't start until I was in my own house. In fact, when we bought this house 6 years ago, I killed almost everything I grew... I didn't give up though and I have gotten better. My love for gardening keeps growing (ha ha, I just noticed the pun!) I hope to continue to get better at it.

December 7, 2014 will be the two year mark that my mom passed away. The past few months that memory of her keeps popping up in my head. I asked my dad if he would mind if I took our mother's pomegranate tree. His first reaction was that he wanted it, but he very quickly changed his mind and said "No, no... you should take it, I don't even like pomegranates".

Today I picked it up. Kileen wrapped it and covered the dirt and helped me load it in my car. Now it's in my backyard... and it makes me feel like my mom is there with me.

The fruit survived the car ride!

Set it next to the bridge my brother Connor built... really feeling the family ties back here.

Wanted to include a shot of part of my new veggie garden :)