They were absolutely beautiful those roses in my father's backyard. Serveral plants climbing up he side of the balcony and up the grape vine structure.
They were his pride and joy. And they were there for over 20 years.
In October of 1999, my father passed away. His roses were to live on until October of 2002, when my mother passed away and the roses were left alone.
When the house was sold, I decided to bring a couple of these bushes with me in an attempt to keep them blooming.My dear friend Bill helped me with the task of digging up these plants with roots that were well over 20 feet.
Bill never actually said so, but the roses were not expected to survive the transplant. The uprooting alone would take its toile and the roses would probably die. But without saying anything, Bill helped me to transplant two of the over 15 plants into a flower pot and transport them to my house several miles away.
For the next two summers, the roses only made fresh leaves but, I continued to provide all the caring and love that my father did.
In mid-june of 2005, one of the plants produced a half dozen buds. I was was in tears. Every morning, I took a picture of them as they bloomed.
Within days, both plants had over a dozen buds on them. By the end of June, They had fully bloomed. Absolutely beautiful. Now in my backyard.
When I shared the joy with Bill, he exclaimed "You have witnessed a true miracle"
And with that I thanked God and my father for allowing me to enjoy the roses once again.
Thank-You for allowing me to share this story.
Pietro M. Iglio
August 2nd, 2007
|
