March 16, 1956-December 21, 1990
It's been 17 years since a drunk driver ended all your hopes and dreams on an icy Friday morning. Even though I have since met my soul mate and had two children, there's still a hole in my heart that you once filled. They say time heals all wounds, but some scars never truly heal.
After you died, leaving me alone in our house, I could barely function. I truly believe the garden saved my life. Out of my grief and loss, I carved a garden out of the lawn. The pain in my arms and back from digging helped mask the pain in my heart. Looking forward to Iris reticulata, Crocuses, and Tulips blooming helped me make it through that second winter after you died, which was almost worst than the first, when I was still numb. It wasn't the most well-designed garden, but it helped to raise my spirits enough to pull myself up by my proverbial bootstraps and reinvent my life.
I still miss you. Every time I go to The Planter's Palette I think of you, as you were with me the first time I went to that fabulous nursery. I miss shopping for plants with you, our Sunday night gripe sessions, laughing until tears streamed down my face and I was gasping for air. I miss you, Diane, my big sister, my best friend.