Fun Friday: The Secret Garden

We planted trees behind the smokehouse long before paths were made. Stones and walkways came next.

Then, one sunny day, with my baby toddling at my feet (her fists full of dirt) I poured sand, hauled brick and laid a smokehouse floor to create a playhouse.

The Book was the motivator. We wanted a hidden place, a quiet place, a place for play to unfold.

Magically, in the cool shade of our planted trees, The Secret Garden was born.

Babies gone, the garden languishes now. The place for pretend and adventure quietly waits for children to come home.

If you have a cozy corner, create a Secret Garden this Summer. You’re limited only by your imagination. A Secret Garden can be in a patio corner or beneath a box. It can lie beyond a corner fence or a basement door. Make your secret, mysterious place and let the pretend begin.

A stroll through the Secret Garden

Remnants of children are tucked in the corners of the dusty smokehouse. Twenty years have passed, but the Secret Garden and its playhouse are still ready for play.

An old chandelier (complete with battery-operated candles!) is hung from the tree limb.  Two ancient chairs sit nestled below. At night, The Secret Garden is sparkling with white Christmas lights.  I sit in the shelter of the trees and say a thankful prayer . In the sparkling darkness, I sigh in contentment. 
This broken garden bench got new life when we attached it to a cut log to create a cozy spot to gaze across the farm fields.

”You’re my quiet place of retreat; I wait for your Word to renew me.” – Psalm 119:114