Today's MOZEN: RED RULES

Words and photos by F LoBuono

Certainly, things happen in our lives that defy standard explanation. Does this mean that mysterious forces are in play? Is their some message being sent for us to hear? Perhaps. I profess a little agnosticism when it comes to such matters. It may, or may not be due to circumstances that are truly beyond our control and understanding. How can we truly know for sure? To me, as much as I want to fathom ALL of the mysteries of the Universe, it is not that important that I come to know exactly why these things happen. Sometimes, I believe it is enough that that we simply accept whatever message we may choose to take from it.

Such was the case the other day.

I had just finished one of my sojourns into the village and was taking the sidewalk that runs alongside my building and then to my apartment when I noticed something different. Just over 2 years ago I buried my beloved cat, Big Red, next to the path. He had been such a big part of my life that, even in death, I felt that his spirit would sustain me (I have shared his story previously on the blog). There was a patch of wild lilies that I thought would make a fitting final resting place for the Big Guy. I placed a Pink Flamingo Pin Wheel to further mark the site (he would have appreciated that). And, there he has rested ever since.

As I was passing Red's grave, my eyes were immediately drawn to two, bright red tulips standing tall right in the center of the tumulus (grave mound). They were the only blooming flowers in the entire field of green, making them stand out like little red sentinels! Now, what made this somewhat remarkable to me was that I do not recall planting any tulip bulbs on the grave. In fact, I'm sure that I did not. Also, there are no other tulips blooming anywhere even CLOSE to that area.

So, how did they get there? And, why were they blooming now, after all of this time?

When I mentioned this to friends, some offered logical, plausible explanations: Squirrels had buried the bulbs in the soft earth and forgotten about them. They were there when you disturbed the earth in the first place and just germinated, etc. But, others suggested things that were more esoteric in nature. They said that, yes, the bulbs may have already existed in nature but it was the power of Big Red's Spirit that made them bloom in the exact spot that they did. He was sending a sign in all of his BIG RED glory, that he is, indeed, still with me - in spirit if not in body.

I choose to believe a little of both . . .