At the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois, getting some “face time.” Get it? Nice outdoor sculpture exhibit called “Of the Earth” going on, with works by Polish American artist Olga Ziemska, using reclaimed materials from the Arboretum. I have to say the Arboretum is one of my two happy places, the other being Radnor Lake in Nashville. The Arboretum is located close to Naperville, the town I grew up in, but I didn’t visit very often whilst growing up. However, when my son was born and we were making a lot of visits back to the area to visit my parents, we began going a lot – with them and then, when mobility made it difficult, on our own. They were such magical times and such happy times and I even knew it while they were happening.
So, after my folks passed, I thought it would be appropriate to get a tribute brick for them, to honor them, and also thank the Arboretum for being such a special place. This summer, towards the end of July, I was up in Chicago for a friend’s memorial, and I took a drive out to see it for the first time. My dad used to call my son “the flower of his heart”, hence the inscription. I took a walk around the latest sculpture exhibit and thought of them, eight years since they passed.
I went by the Children’s garden and the pond and the cafe, where we would all sit and have lunch together after we were done exploring. And the mementos around the house, like the glass blown pumpkins or the silver acorns or the game of Bug Bingo. He was back in Nashville, busy working for the summer, nearly done with college, and living his life as a 20 year old. I generally live in the present, but on this July morning I would’ve given everything to go back and ride the tram with everyone again, as we all were at that moment. Just one more time. (throwback photo below)
Doug Hoekstra 