On this day of remembrance for an extraordinary historical figure, I came upon Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco which houses a Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. The exquisite use of water in this memorial is a powerful reminder of Martin Luther King’s eternal legacy as well as the power, beauty and eloquence of one of our greatest natural resources, water. The link is: http://www.yerbabuenagardens.com/features/gardens.html#3.
Also, through my studies at seminary, http://www.onespiritinterfaith.org/, I’ve recently learned about the existence of ‘hush arbors’. In antebellum America, a hush arbor was a place where slaves secretly met to practice Christianity and to sing religious spirituals. Hush arbors were frequently situated in swamps or wooded areas so that slaves’ voices were less likely to be heard by slave owners. Slaves could be severely punished for meeting for communal prayer.
For so many of us gardeners, our gardens are our sanctuaries and our chapels. I feel especially grateful today to have the freedom to be able to garden on my own plot of land and pray whenever or wherever I wish without any repercussions. My wish is that all humans throughout the world should be able to enjoy such freedoms.
Please feel free to post any personal thoughts or photos from your garden in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.