I've learned through the years, that I have absolutely no control over what it is that stirs the memories and brings those visits from the other side. This morning my friend Bennie Windstein (or Bernard Windstein Jr.) dropped by. It was my beautiful spider plant that made the magic this morning.
Bennie regularly brought baby spider plants over to me when he came to Columbus Street for dinner with mutual friends of ours. Each plant he brought had a poem attached that would always make me smile. I know I've kept them, but they are all in France...along with other letters and poems he wrote throughout the years of our friendship. Our friendship began in the fall of '82 and lasted until the day he passed in 1998. In fact, he was standing in the exact spot where that spider plant is sitting the night I met him here. A friend was running for judge in Criminal Court and myself and some other friends had hosted a party for her here.
It was wonderful to have him in the garden with me this morning. All those baby spider plants were speakiing to us. I was already planning in my mind how many sweet little pots I could scoop up somewhere and plant the so they'd get going as sweet gifts to friends. I journaled about his visit. When I went back to reread a bit from last summer in France, there he was again-Bennie and his Bells.
All of our lives have gone on since then. I frequently chat with Bennie from my garden in Cadrieu when the bells are chiming in Saujac or Montbrun. This is his first visit to Columbus Street in a while. There's a lot happening for a lot of our old friends these days too. Some I'm still in touch with and some have moved on. I couldn't help but wonder, if this was a special visit for him to peek in on us and provide some of his sage advice to some of us who could still use it from time to time. I wondered, what might Bennie say to them? Next time, I'll be sure to ask him.
I've blogged about Bennie before and will share an old post tomorrow.
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