There is a story here so please bear with me through some of the backstory…
So, if you have read the Meet Guy part of this blog, then you know my son, Guy, committed suicide in 2017. Through unknown chance, I had been working in radio at the time and had found this new, amazing space called Seven Stones. Seven Stones is the most amazing, healing, beautiful, botanical garden memorial cemetery and I went out to visit them and a approached them about radio advertising. They were just getting started but I could see their vision and it was amazing! Long story short, they didn’t have the money for the advertising at the time but 4 months later I found myself needing their services.
Guy’s ashes were mixed with a proprietary mix to make them nutrient rich to the earth and buried his ashes under a royal crimson columnar oak we had planted. This is a tree that will always be tall and thin, just like Guy.
I visit his tree every month on the 11th (the day we lost him) and on special occasions. I have now seen his tree go through all the seasons and cycles of life a few times. It has been very therapeutic for me.
My last visit to his tree was on June 23, 2020 – what would have been Guy’s 22nd birthday. I brought Guy some flowers and a balloon, my dog Buttercup with me and had a little picnic. While I was sitting there I decided to tell Guy a story. I made up some of my own missing chapters for his life. It goes like this:
“Ok, Guy, when you turned 19 you got your CNA certification and went to work at an assisted living home. You had a favorite resident there named Mrs. Wayne. Because of your love of all things Batman, you often would tease her that she was Bruce Wayne’s grandmother. She was a lovely but very old lady. She didn’t have any family to speak of but you took really good care of her. She was a woman of significant means so when she passed, she left everything to you!
You never put a lot of importance on money, so you stopped working at the assisted living home and went back to school to get your Physical Therapy license so you could work with sick and disabled children like you dreamed. You turned 21, grew a full beard (always a dream of yours) and went to work at the local children’s hospital. You had a favorite little 3 year old girl named Joy who had been in an accident and you were helping her learn to walk again. You met Joy’s mother, Becky, and fell in love. Becky is a nurse and once Joy was recuperated, you got married. What a lovely small ceremony it was! Lilly was your Best Man and Joy was the flower girl. Oh, how I cried happy tears! Because you didn’t need to worry about money and being both you and Becky were big hearted altruistic people, you decide to travel the world helping poor sick children. Oh, the adventures you are going to have! I’m looking forward to the emails and pictures you will send!”
Since he would only be 22 now, I stopped there. This is the original story but of course it needs a lot more detail. I am planning on expanding here on this blog to write all of Guy’s story. This is a mother’s fantasy and should be both entertaining and healing.
