A new installation in a botanical garden in Michigan City appears out of place at first glance.
A British phone booth sitting among the trees and plants.
The woman responsible for its placement says its perfect.
It’s called a Wind Phone.
There’s a metal and glass replica of an old British phone booth.
Fire engine red.
With an old pay phone inside.
It’s not connected.
It sits in a quiet corner in Friendship Gardens.
Jane McDonald, a volunteer at the gardens, made this happen.
“People who have lost loved ones can come in and speak to their loved ones and metaphysically their words are carried in the wind and reach their loved ones,” she said. “Friendship Gardens is the perfect idyllic setting for a serene and very meditative visitation. It’s very peaceful, it’s in the conifer section, so it’s shaded, Trail Creek runs in the background, so it really is a lovely setting.”
McDonald said she thought of her mother while contemplating this idea.
“We knew that she was very ill and dying, but she slid into a coma, so we really didn’t have a chance to say our final words and our final goodbyes. So its very comforting to think that you can come here and say the things you never had an opportunity to say. It brings a certain kind of closure and comfort and a really warm feeling.”
The Wind Phone concept was started in Japan and it has spread around the world.
There’s one in Evanston.
A foundation that wants to remain anonymous covered the roughly five thousand-dollar cost to purchase and install the phone booth.