For most people Friday the 13th is an unlucky day.

For Kitch and me, Friday, July 13, was anything but unlucky.

It was a day of meeting new people. It was a day of wonderful correspondence, and a day of inspiring telephone calls.

This beautiful day of sunshine and mild temperatures began with a 45 minute telephone call from a former student, Jen Ryan Davis. Jen and her family live in New Jersey.

Kitch, Jen and I met while she was a senior in college, and we have been friends for many years. On this day, she would call to give us support and encouragement during my recovery. We talked about family, friends, grandchildren, and the ups and downs of recovering from open-heart surgery.

It was a delightful experience and it ended with tentative plans to get together here in Windsor Park in September.

Another telephone call from a former colleague at King’s really lifted my spirits. Pam Bird is one of the most thoughtful people I have ever met. As a counselor, she knows what empathy is all about. As a friend, she knows what loyalty is all about. On this day she would call to apologize for not being in contact. Apparently something blocked the messages Kitch was sending from my King’s College address during my illness. Pam knew nothing about the cardiac event and the open-heart surgery.

It was so good to hear her caring voice, and, like teenagers, we talked for a long time. We ended our conversation with a tentative arrangement for dinner here in the greenhouse.

If there is one thing I have learned from this experience, it is the importance of voice contact with people who care about you and your recovery. Whether long or short, these conversations are as important to the soul as the medications are to the body.

Before the day ended, there were two other wonderful telephone calls from Joe Yedloski and Ellen Doyle. Both of these dear friends just wanted to offer help with anything that would make life a bit less challenging especially for Kitch who has done all of the heavy lifting here since Memorial Day.

On this day, we met a young college sophomore named Becca who represented everything one could hope for in a daughter, an employee and a student.

Becca graduated from Crestwood High School. She attends Grove City College, and she is working at Sam’s Club this summer. In a few years she will be an outstanding elementary school teacher.

On this day, she helped us secure a business account at Sam’s Club. Her welcoming smile and very professional demeanor made the experience both enjoyable and memorable.

A few hours after we met this charming young lady, Frank & Marlene Fedak and their in-laws, Nadia and Slav, came to Windsor Park to tour our garden.

Nadia and Slav came to the United States five years ago. Nadia wanted to be closer to her daughter, and Slav wanted to build a better life for himself and his wife. By every account, they have done just that.

Today these two charming Russians own and operate Little Bear Daycare in Oaklyn, New Jersey.

On this day their visit was not to talk about their business, it was to talk about our garden.

Kitch and I met Frank Fedak about a year ago when he was delivering concrete for three atmospheric lights we were installing in Windsor Park.

Frank is a Vietnam vet and a person who loves his work. He is an employer's dream. Client service is his middle name, and his jobs are done to perfection. As I watched him work, I thought to myself, I want to get to know this man.

While he worked we talked, and we became fast friends. Frank and his wife, Marlene, attended the Irish Teachers Festival in 2006, and the rest is history.

On this Friday afternoon they joined Kitch, and they walked the red stone paths throughout Windsor Park.

Accompanied by Nadia and Slav, Kitch took them to the Garden of Life where they talked about the engraved rocks, the Koi fish and the waterfall. Nadia and Slav were taken by the idea of a Garden of Life.

The next stop was the Angel Garden. Once there the mood changed as our visitors absorbed the meaning and the significance of this tribute to the heroes of Flight 93. Like so many people before them, there was little conversation. The sounds of silent admiration and respect for this place were apparent.

Nadia and Slav walked the perimeter of the garden looking at the Angels of Freedom who were nestled behind a sea of Stella d'Oro Day Lilies and hardy geraniums. At one point, they looked at one another as if to say: “We understand your pain.”

After a few minutes of quiet reflection, they made their way to the micro garden in what we call the first garden.

Constructed in 1996, our first garden remains very much as it was then, the raised beds are the same, the walking paths are the same, and the location of the benches is the same. What has changed is the size of the trees and the density of the ornamental grasses.

Two red maples and two Japanese maples can be seen from any point in this garden. The Catalpa trees given to us by my Uncle Lou are at least 30 feet high and the Quaking Aspen planted by the birds towers over everything at 40 feet. The Little Leaf Linden and the white birch trees are well developed, as are the lilac bushes that form the background of this garden.

Ehen our guests gathered around the micro garden, they talked about the trees and the special feeling they got in this garden. It was a time for laughter and story telling. It was a very joyful moment.

Slav asked about the health of the white birch trees and I watched him with joy as he inspected every tree in the upper garden.

A tour of the lower gardens, and then it was onto the hydrangea garden and  the greenhouse.

Once in the greenhouse the conversation turned to history, life experiences, immigration, citizenship and work. Frank, who is quite a history buff, talked about a recent visit to Gettysburg, a place his son knows like the back of his hand.

We were having a grand time, but I could feel my energy levels dropping rapidly. On this day the heat and the walking took its toll. Most open-heart patients express the same frustration I was feeling as my energy levels dropped. The recovery process is a slow and a very deliberate one.

As we made our way to the driveway to say good-bye to our guests, I could see the black clouds and the lightning strikes in the distance. None of us wanted the visit to end. We were having a wonderful time. Nadia provided a business card, and she and Slav extended an invitation to their home whenever we were in the Philadelphia area.

Handshakes, hugs, farewell greetings and this special visit ended.

Friday, July 13, was a wonderful day in Windsor Park. It was a day of great communication, reunion and redemption. It was a day we did not want to end.

In a garden you can open your heart to new friends, new ideas and new experiences.

Please send feedback to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it