The Artist In You Blog

The Friendship Garden (part 2)

by Wendie Busig-Kohn

There are places I remember all my life
Though some have changed
Some forever, not for better
Some have gone and some remain

All these places have their moments
Of lovers and friends I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In MY LIFE I loved them ALL
(Lennon/McCartney)

The Lady came from Baltimore segment of the Friendship Garden!

After the initial inspiration provided by my friends, Wendi Florentine, Fred Ebeling and Donny Frank of Palm Springs, I knew what needed doing next.

I wanted to wake up every morning and be greeted by all of the friends and family that I had lost, when I entered my garden. Where to begin? Where I began!

The Friendship Garden (Part 1)

by Wendie Busig-Kohn

Creative inspiration can come to you
from love, passion, even GRIEF.

I stood there, just staring at the four palm trees I'd planted. A week ago, the grass had been removed. Yesterday I attended a funeral for my best friend, Donny Frank. Only one night before that, I had gone to Palm Springs City Hall to pay tribute to him during Public Comments.

When I arrived, two different people asked me what I was going to present. For years, I'd been standing up at that podium, representing a plethora of local causes and issues. But, that night, it was personal, very personal. When I told these two people that Donny had died, they replied "Was he anyone important?"

I'm sure that my astonished glare needed no words. The Frank family was one of the most important families in Palm Springs development history. Perhaps, they hadn't been around that long to realize that. But, there was more to the story of why I wanted to talk about my friend.