A good lawn person is a gift from the gods

... even if he made little mistake.

Last week my partner had back surgery and spent several days in the hospital. What with taking care of the house and pets, teaching three college classes and going and forth to check on her, somehow I missed being here when the yard guy came to mow the lawn on Tuesday.

It was dark by the time I got home that day. On Wednesday, I thought the back yard looked different, but couldn't figure out what it was. I still didn't know on Thursday when Mr. Maya came to pick up his check.

But as I was strolling through the back yard Saturday morning to check on my garden, it hit me: the little patch of English-style garden filled with purple daisies and violets had been mowed to the ground! What three days before had been a wild and luscious garden spot a week away from bursting into bloom that would last until Labor Day was now denuded -- chopped down to the roots.

I sat down on these same roots and cried for 15 minutes. Then I came into the house and took a long bath. Next I had another cup of coffee, sat a while and then took a long walk through the neighborhood.

When I was sure I was calm and wouldn't rant or attack, I called Mr. Maya. His wife, who manages the home, the business phone and books -- and has her own cleaning service, answered. I told her my sad story, starting with wondering if he had called in some help because -- after three years of doing our yard -- he knew what to mow or not. "Let me check with him," she said.

Within minutes she called back. Yes, he had hired a new helper that day, but thought the guy had fully understood what to do or not to do. They would be happy to replace the flowers -- something I declined, seeing as these were flowers that had grown from shared clippings. He would certainly understand if we didn't want to use his service any more.

"I don't want to make a hasty decision," I told her. "Please let me call you on Monday." Over the rest of the weekend, I ranted about this to anyone who would listen, slept on it Saturday and Sunday nights and woke up Monday morning, my decision made.

If he was willing, I would love to have him continue to mow the lawn. He does a great job at a reasonable price. He and his wife are honorable people working hard to make a better life for their children, both of whom I've met and know to be fabulous kids. I'm not even going to ask him to mow my lawn for free the next time, as one friend suggested.

Why? Because if this is the worst thing to happen to me, I am truly blessed. Because the cuttings were all given to me by friends, and God gave me the dirt, sun and water to make the plants grow. I was given four full years to watch the garden develop and to enjoy to burst of color they brought to the yard. And because, as I walked through the now-denuded flower beds, I realized that I now have an opportunity to maybe try something different in this space.

So as I left my message on their answering machine, my only remaining question was this: would Mr Maya accept me back?