Remembering Linwood

In Maine, this is the time of year when the threat of frost has passed and the promise of summer is real. It is time to rake what remains of last fall's leaves and breathe in the air of spring. With crocus and tulips in full bloom I think of Linwood and his flower gardens.

I met Linwood the year before Ken and I married. They were old friends who met in Maryland when Ken moved into the same apartment building. Ken, age 12, dug up Linwood's bulbs to plant his own flowers, and Linwood decided his best defense was to get to know this boy. Linwood's family home was in Maine, and he invited Ken to go with him to visit one summer. One summer turned into many summers, and a lifelong friendship was forged.

Ken and I were invited to Maine for Thanksgiving in 1976. By then Linwood had retired and moved back to his family home. In the summertime he opened his antique shop. Year-round he was active in local politics and had a busy social life. Though he never married or had children, he had a large extended family that loved Uncle Linwood.

On those summmer vacations as a boy Ken learned to love Maine. Ken wanted me see this special place. He didn't know that I would love it as much as he did. In Maine I felt like I had come home ~ I felt like it was where I belonged.

Linwood owned a cottage on a pond and invited Ken and me to spend our honeymoon there. We woke each morning to the sound of loons on the water. Each night we marveled at the clear, dark sky and more stars than we could count. During the hours in between we traveled the state with Linwood, who knew the best places to eat and the most beautiful spots on the coast. Ken and I dreamed of someday living in Maine....

Six months later we couldn't think of a reason not to make that dream a reality. In starting our life together we wanted to be in a place where we had a chance to find out who we could be. Maine was that place, and sharing that time with Linwood gave us the solid footing we needed. He believed we would make it, and he respected our decisions even if he didn't always agree.

Linwood was important in our family's life. He held our children as babies and celebrated their birthdays. Our children knew his yard as well as their own. We spent Christmas at his house and celebrated New Year's over his lobster stew. In the summer we sat on his porch and admired his beautiful gardens.

We lost Linwood much too soon. Many things remind us of his life, his laugh, and the gleam in his eye. We loved him and are better for having known him.