The title of this piece came from a suggestion. I did not come up with the title. I picked this title from many other wonderful title suggestions.
Grandma's Garden spoke to me when it was first suggested. My grandmother grew and canned what was in her garden. But what really spoke to me about the title was the imagery. I had an image of a garden and in that garden was my family. The garden was filled with family members that I have only seen from photos, family members that I hardly knew and my immediate family. The older family members were sharing stories with the children and younger family members.
Image yourself as a young child. It is a warm summer day, just a slight breeze. You're in the middle of a beautiful garden. This garden can be your grandma's garden, your mother's garden or any garden for that matter. This garden can be growing just about anything you can imagine from any vegetable to any flower. There are bees, ladybugs and all sorts of small creatures. Now that we have this image of a garden, let us add some people to share what we are experiencing. These people can be anyone from a friend, a sibling, a parent or a grandparent. Now imagine the conversations that are taking place within our garden. Think especially about the words that are being spoken from someone older, like a grandmother. This person can be telling us a story about anything like when to plant a certain vegetable or flower or telling us about their own childhood and what was told to them.
Now image you are that older person in your own garden. Who are you speaking to? Who are you helping? Who are you telling stories to that were told to you?
Grandma's Garden can be an actual garden or a garden that we only imagine.
I hope this story has conveyed the imagery that I felt when I chose the title of this piece. The gardens of our lives are filled with memories of loved ones, lessons, teachings and stories that have shaped who we are today. And all those same things that shaped us will shape those who come after us.