The Greenhouse

I was blessed with knowing a man by the name of Ed Elliot. I owe quite a bit to this wonderful, generous and holy man. When we first met, we both knew we would somehow be friends. There was a connection that we could not explain. I was drawn to his bright eyes and looked forward to that part of my day that I could share with him. His easy smile always brightened my long and sometimes trying days.

I was first struck by his faith. Ed truly believed and practiced what it meant to be a Catholic. He attended mass and vigil. He prayed daily the rosary. He tithed. He spent much of his unattended time in meditation and wonder of the Lord. Often, I would come upon him and find him in deep meditation. He would tell me he was talking with his guardian angels. Other people may have doubted him, but I knew by the glow of his eyes that he was in the presence of an angel. He did not claim any great miracles or predict any events, he just knew things.

Often we would find ourselves talking about God or our faith. He patiently would answer my questions about how his beliefs were developed or what the Catholic church believed about specifics we might be met with. Ed not only spoke from his own experience, but he could answer me based on his encounters with Father Angelo.

The story of Father Angelo should be saved for another time, but it can be stated that Father Angelo sits in the presence of angels with great regularity. He and his faith are recognized as local authority of the Catholic church without question. He has served his home parish for many years and near lifetimes faithfully and without any reservation.

The subject of the greenhouse came about during one of those times I spoke with Ed about what his life had been like when he was younger. At those times, he would lean back and smile as he recalled his life with his love and helpmate, Verna. Ed would talk about how he and Verna planned each year the number of plants they would grow and how they worked side by side. Each one with their schedule of jobs and duties. Both important to the task, not one more significant than another.

He spoke with pride as he told me he sold poinsettias to most of the churches throughout Miami county. Shyly, he would describe how he decorated the altar of the church with the blooms. The bright red color of the leaves shining against the walls and wood. He spent hours on the task.
I spoke with many people who recalled the beautiful plants at Christmas. There would be so many that the altar appeared to float on the leaves.

He spoke with authority about how to best trim and cultivate the plant to create more blooms or generate a larger plant. He again with all his patience, would demonstrate where to trim a plant to grow starts for a new plant. Using his thumb to find the joint, he would tell of where the cut should be made and how to place the end in root developer as you placed it in the soil.

Many hours were shared in the task of passing down the knowledge and the hope of growing another year of poinsettias. We laughed at my foolish ideas. He challenged my silly plans or ambitious thinking. But he supported the idea that this plan could take root.

The most daunting part of our plan has been the moving of the greenhouse. Not only is is large, but the commitment that comes with it is also large. There are many ribs of the house. The spans of metal are connected to make a seventy foot long side with twenty-seven feet of width to be filled with potting tables, growing shelves, fans and watering systems. Heat is another issue to be tackled for early plants for the first part of the growing season. Ohio winters and springs are far from predictable.

Once the frame is taken down, it must be carefully re-assembled close to the barn for electricity and water. Far from the animals and their renegade escapes. Then the sheeting needs to be attached to withstand another year of rain, wind, and generally unpredictable weather. Exhaust fans need hung, the wood burning stove needs vented. The work seems monumental.

Barry sees this as a mountain. His right and left hands, our oldest boys, both either gone off to college or busy with plans and auditions. He struggles to be supportive with the vision, but is daunted by the task of details. There is some fear. Another way for our family to risk more time and money. We need this to be successful. We need it to ground our family business. To make our lives more solid in our home and our community.

Ed and I shared the blessings of what this could mean to our family. It means work and hard work at that. It means a chance to have and continue a business that once worked well to provide for Ed and his family. It gives Ed a chance to pass down what his patience and dedication gave to him. There is a sense of calm and worship in his story. There is the wonder of God's glory in the plants and their blooms. There is the blessing of being able to serve his church through giving back his means of making a living in the most visible way possible.

I hope that we can serve our community, our church, and our God with the same dedication. I pray that God will give us the strength to create a clean slate as we develop this dream of our business. It has been odd how we know that this greenhouse is the beginning for aspects in all of our lives.

Our eldest daughter, Lyndsay has once again discovered her love of plants, shape, and form. She has always used them to create a quieter, more beautiful world amidst the chaos of growing up and becoming a woman. She loves the dirt and the opportunity to watch things grow from sticks and seeds. Each thing growing to bloom at the encouragement of her hand. This greenhouse will be another part of her way of carving out her next steps in life.

It is not just a greenhouse, it is a house of new life.