A Beautiful Garden

This Garden stands in Dover, Delaware and it is in front of my house in an ordinary housing development. You might think it is just a flower garden, if it wasn't for the signs that stood in front of it.

They read, "In Loving Memory of Richard L Jacobs Jr, who lost his life to murder on March 27, 2015. To the right of that sign, is a photo of my son, taken shortly before his death.

When I look at this garden, it represents my memories of my beautiful son. They are beautiful memories that I keep close to my heart. Each flower and each color are picked special every year, for a very special memory. It is sad, that is all we have left is a memory garden. However, we find comfort in honoring a son that meant so much to us in life and inspires us so much every single day, even after he has left this world.

I feel this memory garden helps the pain, for honoring Rick, makes our life without him seem a little bit more worthwhile.

This is the latest version of my son's memory garden, done in all mums, like we do his Fall garden every year. It is hard to believe that is has been almost ten years, since we erected his first memory garden. It is decorated with two small pumpkins on either side, for Rick always loved the fall, and Halloween. This garden actually reflects him and I both. Rick always said I loved wind and water. So although you can't see it, there are windmills on either side of this garden. One of a bicycle, and one of a sailboat. The windmills are unusual and reflect that fact that Rick always loved to ride his bicycle, and he loved the ocean, and he loved to sail. He didn't get to sail as much as he would have wanted to, however, he loved it when he had the opportunity to go out on the ocean.

I don't really know if this challenge calls for more than one photo, however, I could not do this story with just one. This is Rick's Spring Memory Garden, we did in the Spring of 2024, and it shows the bicycle windmill that stands up and is unusual. When the wind blows the wheels on the bicycle go around and around. This was a quite unusual windmill, and I think Rick would approve. Rick loved flowers and we try to fill his memory garden with his favorite flowers and try to make it as beautiful as he was. Also, on the side of the garden, is his Desert Storm photo where he fought on the front lines of the war.

On the other side of this garden, stands a windmill sailboat, which represents Rick's love of the ocean, and love of the beaches, and his love of sailing. Everything in a memory garden should represent something, that reflects your memories of the person you are honoring.

This sailboat windmill as I have said, reflects Rick's love of the ocean and sailing. When the wind blows the sails go around and around. Rick would have loved this windmill.

Rick also loved butterflies and solar lights. What a find it was to find this unique solar light, that had a butterfly on it, and we had several all around his garden that lit in different colors. Rick would have approved, and I tried to live up to his good taste. Here is a photo of the solar light I found, that Rick would have also loved.

And finally there is the winter garden. The solar lights and windmills stay up all year long and so do the signs.

Even these lights had special significance for Rick. He always loved Snoopy and Tweety Bird, and he loved building a snowman.

These photo's were all mine, and although there was more than one of them, they all bought back a memory for me and Rick's entire family.

This Garden Was Built In Loving Memory Of Richard L Jacobs Jr. -----------February 16, 1971-March 27, 2015.

Forever Loved and Remembered