IN LOVING MEMORY
to our parents, Eva, Sol, Joe, and Dora (who loved to garden).
We both learned early on from our parents that “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth”. (credited to Muhammad Ali)
As original owners in the University Commons complex we have from the very beginning wanted to make this place a wonderful community for everyone to live in.
The birth of the Morgan Street Native Garden is the newest contribution, by many residents of the University Village Community. I have to look back to years ago (before becoming a resident) when I was involved with a “quasi“ parade through the vacant land (now the University Village homes) which was strewn with used tires and garbage. My on my, what a transformation now, making this community so livable and thrilled that we, along with other neighbors, have been able to make many contributions to bring it to this point.
The transforming of this urban space with native plants was inspired by the monarch butterfly sanctuaries of Mexico. We have been fortunate to visit these sanctuaries twice and have been amazed by the amount of monarchs and how profoundly moved we were by seeing them.
In Mexico, monarch butterflies are deeply symbolic, particularly in relation to the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos). They are widely believed to be the returning souls of ancestors, coinciding with the timing of the holiday in early November. This belief is rooted in indigenous traditions, with some cultures viewing the butterflies as messengers between the living and the deceased.
Monarchs are not just a symbol of death but also of transformation, rebirth, and the cyclical nature of life. They have become a powerful symbol for justice at the U.S./Mexico border. How symbolic of the monarch butterflies to be part of the transformation of our community and the returning souls of our parents and many others.