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Show Thoughts From The Garden... by Tonya LeMone "A most unfortunate design... " "A most unfortunate design" are the words that have sounded loudly in my ears for about ten years. They are words my instructor used to describe my design projects I would hand in each week at a class on garden design. At the time I was a volunteer service missionary tending the gardens on Temple Square and the Lion House. Because of my volunteer work, I had the once in a lifetime privilege to receive instruction from Peter Lasik, the head garden designer for all the gardens on temple square. Each week we were given a design project and then Mr. Lasik would walk around the room hold up great designs then without fail he would come to mine, project 31, and those dreaded words would come out of his mouth "A most unfortunate design." To this point in my life I had designed numerous gardens, mostly herb gardens, for the students that took my beginning herb gardening classes I taught for the continuing education program. As could be expected, I felt quite confident handing in my designs until the continued "unfortunate design" comment week after week after pitiful week. Through this experience I learned much about myself. Each week it had become my deep desire to please the instructor, after all he was Peter Lasik, so I would try to think how he would do the design or tried to second guess where he wanted us to take the project. I even enlisted the aid of my husband who is a real "designer" (of buildings) and as a result continued with utter failure. Then the week of my redemption came. It was the week I dug down deep and realized I was obviously failing miserable with the approach I had taken each time previously. So, I began to look at my homework and give little thought to it, but I let my heart guide me with little or no regard to pleasing the instructor. I realized I needed to pi ear. i myself. I went into class that day very much expecting the common phrase for project 31 to be labeled once again "most unfortunate design" and especially because I hadn't thought about it too much. Then from out of nowhere, almost as if the heavens had opened and shouted with the trump of angels and what I had come to know as the unobtainable happened. My homework became the star, the numero uno, the best for that day, the MOST FORTUNATE """design: This had seemed an impossible fete that had just become a reality for me. I was the best of show for the day. As my classes continued and I continued the same pattern of designing with my heart and not worrying about the thoughts of others, I had continued success. This lesson taught me a lot about life as well and how we worry about the thoughts of others sometimes too much and who we really should be trying to design for lies within our own hearts, thoughts, and values. I also learned that good design is very memorable. A well designed house is remembered, a well designed dress is remembered and most importantly, a well designed person is remembered. One such person we said good-bye to this week, Chad Mills son of Frank and Annette Mills. Chad spent many hours in our home eating, laughing and building an eternal relationship with our family. Chad was not a young man that wanted material things in life. He spent his life collecting loved ones. One of those was my youngest daughter. When Chad left on his mission, he told our daughter he would write her and to tell a seven-year-old you would do something, it instantly becomes important, so write he did. She cherished those letters and would carry them around in her special bag waiting for the next one. When Chad returned home from his mission, he had realized he missed her birthdays so he took her to "Toys R Us" and let her choose anything in the entire store. Anything to a now nine-year-old was about the closest gift to heaven on earth. Chad Mills was probably the most memorable and well designed person I have had the privilege to come to know. We will miss the "red suit," Lester, granola before school, riding in circles around our house and then taking "blue thunder" on a "ride" in the foothills???? ( Yes, I found out about that.) We will forever remember the big bright smile whenever he would visit and show off another new baby or just be in town for Strawberry Days. Chad, you are not only very memorable but a most FORTUNATE design. Thanks to you for coming into our family's life and blessing us with such good, lasting, and well designed memories. See you in a well designed Garden |