Coleen’s Philodendron
Coleen had a sprawling plant hanging in our dining room window. It was a Philodendron plant and it was beautiful. She started it several years ago from little more than a seedling and nurtured it into a very impressive plant hanging from a shelf and touching the floor. I always thought it was a little too long as some of its leaves actually dragged along the floor. But that’s how Coleen wanted it to look so I just left that one alone. I put it in the category of her clothes piled up on a chair in our bedroom, a nightstand stacked with books and papers and a car that resembled a closet. Those were all just little nuances of who Coleen was and I was glad to accept them as part of her overall package. Always happy to trade some minor annoyances for the privilege of her love.Coleen was very proud of her plant and often commented on how well it was doing. She paid a lot of attention to it and she told me that she even talked to it sometimes. On the rare occasions that she was away, I was always reminded to water that thing. Since she passed, I have been giving her Philodendron plant special care. It has been on a regular watering cycle and I have hung it outside a few times when it was warm enough so it could get some sun. I have been very careful and feel very responsible for the health of that plant.
A few weeks ago I noticed that it was getting root bound and outgrowing the ceramic pot it was in. I thought it should be transplanted into something bigger, but I was afraid to do it, thinking I would break something or kill it. So I decided to take it to a florist and pay them to do it for me. Then I had another idea.
What if instead of putting it in a bigger pot and me bringing it home and hanging it back up so it could get bigger and end up taking more floor space, what if I did something else with it? What if I had the florist take that beautiful plant that was so special to Coleen and divide into six smaller plants that I could give to Lindsay, Shauna, Coleen’s sisters and her mom. I thought that would be a wonderful way to share something so dear to Coleen as a symbol of her life perpetual in our hearts. I was very proud of that idea and when I told people what I was up to, it was hard for me to get the words out without choking up.
I picked my new plants up yesterday and Mary Ann from the florist shop told me an interesting story about Coleen’s Philodendron. She started by asking me if I believed in spirits. I smiled and said “Yes, all the time.” Mary Ann went on to tell me how busy it was on the day she was going to take on my project. Phones were ringing incessantly and the store was crowded with customers all morning. She finally decided that she had to take care of my plant and went to the backroom. As soon as she started working om it, the phones stopped ringing. She looked out front and their store was empty of customers. Mary Ann said it took her and another girl about 30 minutes to turn Coleen’s large Philodendron into six smaller ones. And not one phone call, not one customer while they were working on it. Then as soon as she had the sixth plant safely planted, the phone started ringing and the customers were back. But for the time required to perform the important task at hand, they were able to give 100% undivided attention to Coleen’s Philodendron plant.
As I have stated many times before, I don’t believe in coincidence. It doesn’t surprise me that some energy that we don’t understand might have had a say in how much business Petals to Please was going to do while the transplanting was being done. I certainly believe it. After hearing the story from the florist shop, I wondered if this was even my idea or if I heard a whisper from someone suggesting it to me. Of all the things I have done since Coleen’s passing, this might have been the most magical. The plants are still beautiful, just smaller but there’s more of them. I gave the first one to Karen last night and she loved it. Especially once I explained to her what it was and where it came from. The others will love theirs too and I will love giving them. I feel like I’m giving a piece of Coleen to some of the really important people in her life.
Don’t worry, I saved one for myself, too. It’s in the dining room right where it was before. Waiting for some sun, some water and a little talking to.
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