Libby

Rose Garden-Late June
Originally uploaded by simpleelementsdesign

I lost a dear friend the other day. Her death was like a punch in the gut. It is hard to imagine the world without her.

She was a friend of my mother's. I grew up thinking she was the most elegant woman I had ever seen. I wanted to be her when I grew up. When I grew up, I still wanted to be her. She was a joyful person. She loved tending her gardens and her business. Her family was everything to her and it included people that weren't related by blood. She was an incredible hostess, chef, and gardner and would have put Martha Stewart to shame.

When I became an adult, our friendship really began. I was married in the herb garden of her home. When we moved away, I would return to her business to buy plants for my gardens. I loved having a bit of her here. She came to visit several years ago. She was in awe of the gardens and work we had done to fix up our old house. She wandered about commenting that my mother would have loved this place. That was something else about her, she would often mention my mother who had died while in her fifties. Those comments were gifts to me. A way to keep her alive to me. It saddens me to know I have lost that.

A year and a half ago, I sent her an email telling her I had finally started my own jewelry business and sent her the web address. Her reply back floored me. She invited me to participate in her yearly Herb Fair as a vendor. The event was three weeks away. The fair averages around 3,000 visitors. I didn't have the inventory but didn't want to tell her no. So, I jumped off the cliff and said yes. I worked constantly making items for it. A friend helped me with my display and we headed off to the fair. She was there to greet me and show me my spot. She approved of the display, especially the chairs that we had put outside the tent so people could sit and enjoy the gardens and ponder their jewelry purchases. She would stop in from time to time to check up on me always with a big grin on her face. At the end of the day, I was amazed at how well I had done. For just starting out, it was a bit overwhelming to realize that people did like my work. When I went to say goodbye and thank you to her, I got choked up. I told her that her faith and support in me was such a gift. She just chuckled and gave me a hug and told me to remember she was my biggest cheerleader.

She was an extraordinary woman who had such an impact on my life. I am grateful that come spring and summer, I can gaze upon the gardens filled with plants from her and remember the woman who was such a huge influence on me. I was so blessed to have Libby in my life.