Columbine and Forget-Me-Not

"Oh God, Help Me," the young girl screamed in terror.

"Do You Believe in God?" the shooter asked.

"Yes," she replied.

Valeen Shnurr, Age 18

Columbine massacre survivor

Eleven years ago on April 20, 1999, we shared a collective gasp at the carnage and horror of the Columbine High School shootings. We grieved as a nation, and shared a sense of helplessness. As the funerals began, on April 24, 1999, I remember being moved by a parent who asked that people not forget their children.

And so later that day, I began working the earth, planting what would become a memorial garden patch for the victims and their families. Every year as the April sun warms the earth, and the flowers begin to bud, I remember -- and in reading this, today you will remember also. This garden has come to serve as a little outdoor meditation area -- a place to pause from the hurried pace and remember the fleeting nature of life.

Although I will most likely blog at a later date about individual plants in this small garden, here is an introduction to the Columbine garden, which is tucked in a shady corner, hidden from full view. The garden features:

Columbine -- the reference is obvious

Forget-me-nots -- the flower of remembrance

Bleeding Hearts -- shade perennial in the shape of a heart with a tear drop falling from it

Lily of the Valley -- sometimes called "Mary's tears" which fell to the ground at the crucifixion of Christ. Legend has it that this plant is a sign of Christ's second coming.

The garden is nested in an arc of arborvitae, which is known as the tree of life. The tree of life is mentioned in Genesis 3:22, and should not be confused with the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Symbolically the tree of life is Jesus Christ.

Through their attributes and the course of human history, plants have meaning. My Columbine garden shares promise and hope by telling the story of redemption. For any of my gardening friends wanting some plants from this garden, stop by for some starts.

"Down the middle of the city street, on either bank of the river were the trees of life, which bear twelve crops of fruit in a year, one in each month, and the leaves of which are the cure for the nations." Revelation 22:2