Sarah and Gordon's Memorial importance

The only memorial to Rocky's life is a garden planted by Gordon and Sarah in their backyard; he has no gravesite. The garden has things Rocky's children would have liked including "a colorful tin turtle, a bird feeder made from an old license plate, a metal goat painted white" (82). Sarah and Gordon planed Russian sage and bleeding hearts for Michelle and in the middle of the garden is a boulder with the inscription "Forever In Our Hearts. Gordon Edward 'Rocky' Mosure" (82). This garden is symbolic of Sarah and Gordon's grief and guilt, as well as their desire to keep the presence of their son and his family in their lives, without ever forgetting the horror of what Rocky did to them all.