Just before the presidential election, Gene sent me a photo of a lovely pink flower via Messenger with this note: “My first-ever collection of multi-petals adenium . . . for VP Leni for President!”
“Oh, wow!” I gushed, “I wish I had a green thumb, too!”
He replied, “If there were a garden in Heaven for flowering plants, I'd like to be one of the gardeners.”
Perhaps he got his wish. The Lord welcomed Gene to His heavenly garden last week. He was 71.
Gene was a dear friend and a colleague. A respected professor, he was my chat-mate in the faculty room about grace, our common faith, and ministries. We lost touch for sometime, with the pandemic and all, but somehow, during the presidential campaign, we met again—online. He got in touch with me after reading my posts and told me he was a kakampink.
Cyberspace enables friends to say “hello” again, and alas, “goodbye” again.
He did not reply to my last message so I wondered how he was doing. Upon visiting his socmed page, I was shocked to read about what happened. A neighbor narrated that Gene was found unconscious in his garden and was rushed to the hospital. A few days later, he was gone.
I last saw Gene years ago, but our recent exchange of messages about our shared vision for our country made me feel like we were still in the faculty room, this time around, talking about politics and flowers.
In memory of Gene, I made a collage of unusual PINK flowers, which I am sure he would have loved to plant in his garden. I am uploading it today, PINK Wednesday, because we, along with other kakampinks, always greeted each other on a day such as this.
So long, Gene. Till we meet again—at the Lord’s home with its lovely garden! 
“Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die. The wind blows, and we are gone—as though we had never been here.” (Psalm 103:15-16 NLT)
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