In 1888 a children’s book by Francis Hodgson Burnett appeared in bookstores across England. It was called The Secret Garden. It’s enduring popularity led to two film versions (1949 & 1993.)
Why is the story so popular? Perhaps we all imagine a place as magical as the one in the story – a garden paradise hidden behind high walls where spring blooms eternal. In the story, the garden proves to be a healing preseence for the main character (as well as others.) This is the image I offer to you today. Your own secret garden. Each of us can create a place like that within us. A place we can visit behind closed eyes as we take some minutes to rest & restore ourselves.
You who are covered in tasks. You who are
busy with the needs of others. You who need
to give yourself rest’s gift. Come with me up
the path. I invite you to sit awile, to nurture…
your tired parts so that, refreshed, you may rise again. Stay.
Breathe deeply the air of God’s love, exhale fatigue. Breathe
in the hope of this day, exhale the sharp fragments of anger
& frustration. Breathe in the fresh air of justice & tolerance,
exhale the poison of bias & judgment. This
is your time of rest. The bench in my
backyard awaits you. The willow oak above
it will shelter you, evergreens will shield
your privacy, hydrangea will flower your eyes. Remove your
shoes.Toe the grass. Come. Sit. Rest for every second of the
five minutes you take today. These sanctuaries live within.
Let them encircle you in silence. Breathe faith, breathe
hope, breathe love. For you are a child of God. Your heart
is a garden of love. Your angels hover near wondering if you’ll
notice their presence. The water in the fountain is alive with
light & song. The shadows beneath each leaf are hiding places.
Behind closed eyes, there is only your world.
Let the breeze of angel’s wings brush your neck.
In the cake that is this day, carve a five minute
slice of your own. Take. Eat. Breathe love.
Find rest in the
secret garden of your heart
where the living water flows.
-Erie Chapman
Journal of Sacred Work 
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