FOR ONE LUCKY AND BLESSED DECADE, I had a special "meditation garden" for my massage clients to use before and after sessions. Many people remarked on it being unbelievably beautiful, peaceful -- all the more so for being in the middle of San Franciscan urbanity.

There was, to me, always a "living community" going on
there -- even though I was only subtly aware of it,
and in my Northern California "kingdom" (read: jungle)
I could scarcely take time to "hug" them all (not my
style, anyway), but it seemed I did indeed feel
them (and they, me).

One day, while watering them, I heard a "voice" inside
of me: "No, you don't get it -- YOU'RE the garden;
we're working on YOU!"

Years later, when I came home from helping a friend newly-
diagnosed with AIDS -- I returned to a very bad
"something's wrong" feeling. The next day I worked
knowing that "something" was wrong.

At day's end, I finally walked down into, and
discovered a wholesale butchering -- my garden pulled up and smashed pell-mell (by former landlords in an effort to
terrorize me out of my rent-controlled space). So many
of these were truly beautiful; choice and rare, but beyond that, friends. Plants dedicated here, there and everywhere
to my many friends and patients...some, with ashes
scattered under them.

But here's the thing: my first "feeling", after the
shock, was GRATITUDE. Gratitude coming from EVERYWHERE -- the spirits of the plants -- saying to me, "Thank you, thank you, THANK you..."

...And the knowledge that
somehow, that "energy" would come 'round again.

Amazingly, in the destruction of that garden, (and a needed re-creation / destruction / rebirth within myself) a NEW(community) garden helped get born...

...just as years before the beginnings of my old garden started with the plant gifts of a dying man.

Communing with people and plants has taught me this:
"Hold on, Have Faith!!"; --You wouldn't believe how strong life is even when it appears hopelessly fragile.

Hold on, my friends. Hold on. Grow, even when you think you can't.
You can. You can. (You will).

You are the Garden. And the Love is what is real. Yonder ;-)