“That was my private place,” Kieran admits. “It’s where I would go to have time for myself.” When he was 18 years old, Kieran entered a monastery where he spent two years, the first in complete silence. Although he decided the monastic life wasn’t for him, Kieran still finds grace in solitude. He and Libbe consider Willowfield Lavender Farm a magical place where people can enjoy peace and rejuvenation in an often-hectic world. As the fragrant scent of lavender drifts on a summer breeze from the nearby meadow, Kieran ends a visit by reading words written by his granddaughter, Emma Grow, when she was 13 years old. Capturing the spiritual essence of Willowfield, her poem concludes, “Almost too good to be true. My sweet, purple heaven.”
14 • Homes & Lifestyles of South-Central Indiana • August 2016
Purple Heaven By Emma Grow, granddaughter of Libbe and Kieran O’Connor
As the vehicle zooms on the rocky driveway Crunchy gravel gets smothered below My excitement cannot be withheld For I know the purple heaven awaits I spring out onto the ground Breathing in a deep breath The aroma of nature greets me I rush to the field Where purple sprouts of life pop out of the soil I feel welcomed by the fresh lavender My feet being pricked by the evergreen grass And the pleasant birds humming their song The old trees swishing in the breeze The comforting wooden gazebo centering the field Full of memories of weddings and star-gazing The vivid colors of the fire-red butterflies And the buzzing sun-yellow bees Flutter and float around Almost too good to be true My sweet, purple heaven