Eve Sharon, my new baby granddaughter, and a gift from an Angel

Eve Sharon, my new baby granddaughter, and a gift from an Angel…

My Dad was the kindest man you could meet. His smile, his eyes, his hugs, his brilliant mind… shining, shining, shining. One of my most vivid memories of my Dad is the day he came home from a local nursery with a Rose of Sharon. We had just moved to Rhode Island from New Hampshire and I was 12 years old, a very difficult age to move and begin anew with life.

Ah, adolescence.

The Rose of Sharon is a symbol of permanence. I’m not sure if my Dad knew this, but what I do know is that he loved me and he loved the Rose of Sharon. The Rose of Sharon became my favorite flower. I loved that Rose of Sharon and it was difficult to leave it when my Mom sold their home after my Dad died. But Rhode Island would be my permanence, finding my greatest love in my husband Barry and the greatest blessings, too.

On Mother’s Day 2012, the first May in our new (very old) home, Barry bought me a Rose of Sharon to plant in our new yard. He knew what this would mean to me, and the happiness in my heart was indescribable, is still indescribable…

~ A photograph of this Rose of Sharon on May 25, 2016, the day my granddaughter Eve Sharon was born ~

Then there’s the gift from my angel Dad. My Dad died before I was married, many, many decades ago. He left so suddenly from sight, but he has never left in spirit, as an angel. My Dad would not meet any of his grandchildren, but he always told me that he would spoil the daylights out of any he had. My Dad has kept his promise from heaven, watching over Barry’s and my 11 grandchildren, but what I didn’t know about our new yard back in May 2012 was that my Dad had made sure there were plenty of Rose of Sharon bushes to keep me company. There are Roses of Sharon on each side of our yard, bending in from our neighbors’ yards, with their giant hugs and branches reaching straight to heaven.

On Wednesday of this week, Barry and I were blessed with our 12th grandchild, a baby girl named Eve Sharon to welcome into our very big family.

This morning, I could see the little buds of those neighbors’ Roses of Sharon dancing like guests at a Wedding, dozens of them! Roses of Sharon to celebrate our new grandbaby girl and her permanence surrounded in the greatest love. I cannot wait to see them all in full, full flower!

This is my Dad’s gift to his new great-granddaughter, the little girl with the name he loved so dearly… Eve Sharon!