Today I received an email from John's close friend Paul which touched me deeply and brought me to tears....while at the same time it gladdened my heart as I thought John the forester would love to see this. Paul was forwarding an email that he had received from a friend.....
This is what she wrote:
In 1999 I moved into my cottage in Co. M...... and my good friend
John 'Hoppy' F............. said that he would give me a few trees for the boundary of the acre site. When I went to collect these I found 150 saplings looking for a home. Steve and I planted them on the 01-04-00 and spent weeks pouring buckets of water on them as it was an unusual dry spell. But like Hoppy's spirit and generosity they all survived and now this beautiful wood is thriving in this little corner of the world. There are lots of different hardwood trees and some are over 20 foot tall now. I hadn't seen the wood up close in over two years as I have sold the property. The owners let me in to take these photos and one oak tree in particular that was still tiny a few years ago appears to be towering now. The lovely owners assure me that they have every intention of keeping the wood and everytime I pass by I look in and think of our great friend. I hope this will give some of you the same pride that I feel when I think of Hoppy and all the wonderful gifts he left us and the world in his own unique way....
These are the photos she sent.
The Hoppywood
I thank her for sharing these pictures and her thoughts with us...
2 comments:
Oh Adrienne, what a wonderful surprise and such a beautiful image to remember your beloved brother. You'll have to take a drive there and breathe the beautiful breeze the trees (John's trees) will give. Blessings,
Sandy
Ad
Lovely post in your own inimitable style! Yes, the pain is palpable still.
Together we are strong for each other...
Maith thú...
A
Post a Comment