HARLINGEN — Patty Robles gripped the white stone in her hand, pondering the memory of her aunt who died of COVID-19.
She was one of many who had gathered Thursday morning around the new Garden of Remembrance in front of the South Tower Lobby entrance at Valley Baptist Medical Center in Harlingen.
The hospital was holding a ceremony to unveil the piece, a solid reddish brown boulder rising from a sea of white stones trimmed with a light blue border. Hospital employees and administrators hailed the new “Garden.”
“I think it’s important for us to reflect on what this last year has meant to not only our frontline workers here at Valley Baptist but our entire community,” said Manny Vela, CEO of Valley Baptist.
“We really wanted to recognize those family members, those neighbors, those friends who were lost to COVID and for other reasons,” Vela said.
“We came up with this idea of a Garden of Remembrance so every time we walk into our facility through here it’s going to remind us of the ones we’ve lost over the past year.”
He commended the Rev. Joe Perez, director of pastoral services, for coming up with the idea.
“I love the thought of remembering in a very distinct way the ones who have passed away from COVID and for other reasons over this last difficult year,” he said. “Our hope is that people are able to find some solace and comfort in the memories they have of their loved ones.”
Robles certainly did.
“I was thinking of my aunt, Janie Solis, in Lyford,” said Robles, senior HR generalist at Valley Baptist.
“I was just remembering her and make sure everybody who misses her know that we still love her and think about her,” wiping a tear from her face.
She appreciated the gesture of the new “Garden.”
“I think it’s a wonderful idea not only for us to enjoy but also for anyone in the community who has lost somebody to enjoy it as well,” she said.
