Green lessons of love

My Gram passed away on Thursday evening, surrounded by family. She turned 89 a week ago, and has led a full, wonderful life.

As I was contemplating all that she has meant to me, I realized that many of her values and attitudes passed on to her two daughters and her grandchildren as well.

Since I can remember, Gram would sneak me chocolate chip cookies, tied up with a scrap of yarn in a reused milk bag.

I would go home from Gram's house with a loaf of fresh baked bread in the outer milk bag.

I would snuggle on the couch under a lovingly made quilt that was entirely recycled from old, worn-out clothing.

The scrap bucket in the corner of her kitchen always held compostable material and it went to feed the chickens.

Eggs were gathered by hand once a day, and any chicken you ate was fresh, antibiotic free and grain fed/free range.

Her garden was unbelievable - rows upon rows of glistening strawberries, and every type of vegetable you could ever think of - no chemicals used there - just honest-to-goodness hard work got rid of any weeds and pests.

Socks were darned with scraps of yarn when they got holes, they weren't ever thrown away.

Old sweaters were unwound, the yarn wound back into balls, and they would then become another "new" knitted item for use.

And the list goes on, and on. I have so many wonderful memories, and I realize that she has really impacted my life in so many positive ways. Not to mention her incredible love for us all, and her wit and wry sense of humour.

To honour her, instead of buying cut flowers, which can be very un-friendly environmentally, we had a planter put together as a mini-vegetable garden....with tomatoes, lettuce, parsley and brussel sprout plants.

Now, rather than throwing away wilted flowers, we have vegetables to plant in the garden, and in the fall when we are enjoying the bounty of them, we can remember Gram and her wonderful gardens.

I hope that I can instill in my own children the importance of caring for our planet and not wasting our resources - and that these lessons are passed on to my grandchildren and great-grandchildren as well.

I love you Gram - thanks for loving me and teaching me so well.