Exercise, Respite and Education

By Garden Manager Dan Shook

“Mr. Dan, aren’t you glad I am here to help?” were the words from a four year old as she painted mud faces on the creek rocks above the stone bridge. My entire being smiled as simple play was defined as essential in the garden. Hatcher Garden has a mission statement that includes the words “exercise, respite, and education” as the reason we are here. Education in mud faces to volunteerism that might include laying pavers or building a deck. Respite for the mother who is overwhelmed by the home full of little ones to the person struggling with grief. Exercise in the heart rehab patient who walks daily as prescribed. I am often informed that there is something about Hatcher Garden that makes it special. The spirit of the garden meets the small intimate stories of our lives in mud faces and a flower on a memorial bench. Nature reminds us that life wants to live and invites us to join it in the song of the birds and the whisper of the leaves. As we open our heart through this new avenue, make time to support and visit Hatcher Garden to add to the story and stop to ponder the flow of a waterfall and notice the swelling of the leaf buds on the trees. Maybe something unpredictable will happen.