The death of John Kennedy, Jr. has plagued the minds of many these last few days. I have watched the television today as they searched for the bodies of the victims. It brought back grim memories of the assassination of John's father. I was only six years old in 1963. I was sitting in the first grade when the announcement came over the loud speaker in our classroom. I didn't understand everything then, but when I got home and saw my Mother weeping I realized that this was something awful, because my Mother never cried.

Woman places flowers at the apartment of the late JFK, Photo courtesy of AP

This past weekend, when I learned of the plane crash, of John Kennedy, Jr. it really didn't register. I ignored it - it wasn't real. Then when I opened my door to see the headlines of our morning paper, I realized that it was real. Today, I turned on my TV to witness the finding of the victims. As with many deaths of very famous or well-known people, I also witnessed the giving of memorials in the form of flowers and notes, and teddy bears, and such. It was at that moment that this column was born - add a memorial to your landscape.

Can you walk through your garden and have memories of the people you love, or of people you knew, or of people you want to remember, or even people that you never met, or shook hands with, or walked with? A beautiful yard can flourish with memories. As you walk with others through your yard you can say, "Oh, my Mom planted that tree in memory of my father," or, "My best friend bought me that plant," or "I planted that shrub in memory of JFK, Jr."

Planting a garden is a great way to remember. I remember when I was about 30, one day my Mom called me and said, "Come see what I did." When I got to the house she had planted three new dogwoods. She was so excited as we walked through the yard. She said, "I planted this one in memory of your father, this one is for you, and this one is for me, so that when their beauty blossoms in the spring, I will always remember our family, and how special we are."

Many of us are too far away to add to the mountain of flowers that are being presented at the various places for JFK, Jr. But we can add just one rose bush, or one shrub, or one tree to our garden in his memory, or the memory of our loved ones or friends. Build a garden that tells a story. Build a garden of remembrance.