![Group of people gathered in a park for a social event, conversing in small groups on a sunny day with trees in the background.](https://radipolepark.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/p1620223-1-scaled.jpg)
Parks Have Many Roles to Play
Have you ever thought about why you use your local park?
Is it purely because it’s the prettiest route on your way to and from some destination?
To let the boisterous children run off some steam maybe, to walk the pooch or just to keep yourself active.
Some people view it a hallowed space, where they retreat to when they need quiet time…time to reflect…or to make one of life’s big decisions.
Maybe it was a favourite spot for a loved one, someone no longer here, somewhere people can go to feel their presence for a short while.
Perhaps that special person has a bench or a tree situated in their favourite park, donated in their memory.
So it was this morning in Radipole Gardens.
People gathered together to attend a service held in memory of the many thousands who have been affected as a result of genocide, from the horrors of the WWII concentration camps right up through to more recent atrocities.
It was a simple service, part of Holocaust Memorial Day, where events take place world wide, not only to remember…but to reflect.
The theme for the day was the Power of the Word.
That was beautifully demonstrated when a haunting passage was so eloquently narrated, reminding those attending that we are all human beings and as such, should treat each other with kindness and compassion.
Even the sun ordained to cast it’s rays through the bare tree…
…causing the first of the crocus to open their hearts.
Parks can be spiritually uplifting…in so many ways.
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2 Comments
cannasue 7 years ago
I often see flowers left by a bench or at the base of a tree. There’s always flowers on Princess Diana’s memorial stone, I wonder who leaves those?
radipoleparkandgardensfriends 7 years ago
Quite a few of the trees are actually memorials, and some of the benches too. What a beautiful way to remember loved ones, to be able to go along and sit or walk in their favourite place and talk to them, much gentler on the heart and soul than a graveyard.