Article May 28, 2007 Issue

PRAYER IN THE PEACE OF THE GROVE

BY SHANNON HODGINS

There's a park I love to visit in my Canadian hometown of Victoria. It has pond where children feed the ducks. There are trees where great blue herons nest in the spring. There's petting zoo, an eagles' nest, a concert shell, a rose garden, and hilltop views of the ocean and mountains. But my favorite place of all is grove of cedar trees.

These graceful trees, with their drooping branches, huddle together to make a perfect hideaway for childhood games of adventure and imagination. The low-scooped branches can be horses racing to the finish or boats sailing off to distant lands. Their roots can be maps of mysterious places or an obstacle course extraordinaire.

I've enjoyed many visits to this wonderful grove, both with groups of preschool children and on my own. When I visit this special place, I feel the world is full of possibilities—of joy, imagination, excitement. I'm reluctant to leave the trees' sheltering bows and go "back to the real world."

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