Yesterday the gardener came and had to take out all our family home's jasmine plants that took years to grow. For some reason, they died. When we first moved into our little fixer upper home there was one plant. It was very small at the time. We had slider turtles whose tank was above the window where the jasmine lived. My late husband used to water the the plant with the turtle water when he was cleaning the tank. Soon it took off growing, blooming beautifully, climbing up and through the fence on our porch. The turtle water was incredible fertilizer and food for the plant. I had no idea how one living thing's waste would be new life for another! It was so gorgeous and the smell of jasmine wafting through the air was heavenly. So, I planted more! The jasmine not only smelled amazing but provided shade for our spotty dogs for their security post at the front door. This event was a three-way FaceTime call between myself and kids. When I told them what had happened, they both felt a little sad. After all, these plants greeted them at the door every day of most of their lives. They both commented how bare the front of our home looks. Then, my daughter (the biologist) who works in the greenhouse at San Jose State University said her co-worker often has to "chop it all down" for it to grow back. Then she said, "Mom, write a blog" on this. "Chop it all down for new growth." There are many analogies that can be drawn from this. Sometimes in life we must make the decision to chop it all down or life does it for us. Goodbye Jasmine. Hello Grief.
The turtles outgrew their tank and went to live in a neighbor's backyard pond oasis. My husband, my kid's dad, our spotty dogs and now the jasmine have gone on to a different existence. Hello Grief! I see you...your pain brings me fond memories of life, love, loss, grief, death, hope, new growth and beginnings.
Hello Grief. Goodbye for now. We will see who and what shows up in the Spring.
Hello Grief. Hello All. My name is Jennifer Snyder, I am widow, single mom, executive assistant to a famous drummer by day, life coach by night, trying to make it in LA. I dabble in blogging, photography and teaching. I adore animals, nature and love, love, love flowers...music and make up too. I have two amazing adult kids in college who lost their father as young teenagers, thriving with resilence, grit and determination. They inspire me everyday.
As a Life Coach, I help people get better. I am good at beginning again, boundaries, encouraging self care, dreaming new dreams, goal setting and cheerleading.
*If you are wondering what the big deal is about plants, in our family we have loved and lost many creatures. But, we have also come to understand that plants are living things that respond to light, love, kindness, environment, food, water, the sound of calm voices and beautiful music.*