My neighbor, Yvonne, cut down the rosebush my late husband, Caleb, had planted 32 years earlier. She claimed it was growing onto her property and told me, “I did you a favor.”
While clearing the branches, I discovered an old survey marker. A licensed surveyor confirmed that Yvonne’s fence stood nearly five feet inside my property—and part of her garage crossed the boundary too.
Then I found Caleb’s old letters. He had allowed her to use the strip of land but clearly stated that the property line remained unchanged. He had also noticed the garage encroachment, but his declining health had prevented him from addressing it.
After tense discussions, Yvonne moved the fence. We signed an agreement allowing the existing garage corner to remain while confirming that the land belonged to me.
Weeks later, a green shoot appeared at the rosebush’s base. Yvonne finally apologized, and by summer, it was growing again. I planted something new beside it, realizing that changing our garden didn’t erase Caleb’s memory—it helped me continue what we had built.
