Einstein’s Theory of Relativity (and a little thing called the second law of thermodynamics) state travelling back in time is not possible. But I am a mother and a gardener, and I am here to tell you Einstein was wrong.
My son, Nicholas, recently married and not only did I travel back in time, I stayed there just long enough to re-experience the 33 wonderful years I had to watch my son grow into the incredible man he is today.
I re-lived the joy – and the pain – of delivering my 10+ pound healthy baby boy, without the benefits of an epidural or a C-section. I saw myself singing to him as he fell asleep while breastfeeding. I was there for his first steps, his first day of school, and all the other “firsts” mothers (and fathers) all over the world cherish.
But I particularly loved to see Nicholas fall in love with gardening. Even at the tender age of three, Nicholas was always at my side, every spring, eagerly helping me plant seeds for the summer gardens. Of course, there was the infamous spring when a five-year-old Nicholas decided to plant handfuls of grass seed instead of marigolds in every flower and vegetable bed. Then there was the time a six -year-old Nicholas released ALL of THE ANTS from his EXTRA-LARGE ANT FARM INTO OUR HOME because he didn’t want them to be outside in a chilly garden. And how could I forget how his pet hamster, Mozart (or Mozie for short), would lie on Nicholas’ right shoulder, splayed and completely relaxed for an hour or more, while Nicholas played classical music on his alto saxophone amidst the backyard flower beds (and boy could Nicholas make that saxophone sing).
Travelling back in time also offered me the luxury to see Nicholas develop an adept green thumb and a deep love of animals and nature. As he grew older and stronger Nicholas became my trustworthy garden companion as we planted (literally) tens of thousands of new trees, bushes, and flowers in areas previously ravished by poor forest practices or over-grazing. Summer after summer, year after year, Nicholas and I spent a lifetime of hours looking for frogs and toads, watching butterflies, bears, and other wildlife, and taking in the beauty and miracles which nature offered us from our home garden, the ranchlands of Rose Hill, and the wild back country of Adams Lake.
Time travel gave me the opportunity to relive all those wonderful years of watching Nicholas grow up.
But they flew by far too fast.
Because within a blink of an eye, I was back in the present, back in church, holding my husband’s hand, and watching our son recite his marriage vows to his beautiful bride, Halley.
I must admit, I did cry, but they were tears of happiness, of joy, and of reminiscence. Nicholas’ marriage to Halley allowed me to reflect on the wonder and joy which 33 years of motherhood, gardening, and connecting with nature have given me and my family.
My son is happy, in love, and married to an incredible woman whom I now have the honor and privilege of calling my daughter-in-law. May their future be filled with good health, safety, peace, love, and blessings from God – and hopefully, lush gardens where butterflies, birds, and all creatures great and small will always be welcome.
