Care extends far beyond the walls of our facility at Carpenter Hospice. For Peter Banahan, our Facilities Maintenance Specialist, and our dedicated volunteer garden team including Kathi MacDonald, Cheri Morrison and Angela Chiarelli; the mission behind the Hospice’s evolving outside space is to provide a sense of connection, not only for residents and their families at the Hospice, but also for staff, volunteers, and community members.
Set against the backdrop of a natural forest, our Hospice’s garden is one of a kind. “Carpenter Hospice is so unique with its location,” says Cheri, “It’s different from other hospices, a forest surrounds us. We can take advantage of the nature around us to provide a natural space to be present in”. And it’s working, “When I am back here in the garden, it’s almost spiritual,” says Angela. It’s a place of peace and reflection. “We have such a beautiful standard of care inside the Hospice, and we want to bring what we provide inside, to the outside,” says Peter. The initiative to grow the gardening program is gaining momentum, thanks to shared passion and purpose.
A beautiful aspect of the space’s evolution is how much of it has been built on generosity. Many of the plants and flowers now thriving in the space were donated, each one here because someone believed in our vision. A new feature generating excitement is the addition of a butterfly garden. “Butterflies aren’t simply a symbol that represents our hospice,” says Peter. “They also represent the circle of life and freedom – they are both delicate and resilient. There is meaning in everything happening here”. Kathi adds, “It’s exciting that we can move forward on our goals for this garden. It’s finally the right time”.
Looking to the future, our volunteer garden team envision an even greater role for the broader community. With the garden, we will be able to create a space for legacy projects, fundraisers, and collaborative events, fostering stronger partnerships with those around us.
See below a poem written by Peter Banahan:
In the Garden That Remembers
Where hummingbirds hum like held breath in flight,
And butterflies stitch morning to night,
There blooms a place beyond design,
A hush, a healing, a curve of time.
The flowers here are not just for show,
They lean to listen. They seem to know.
Native petals cradle grace,
In every stem, a sacred space.
A bench remembers laughter’s tone,
A pathway worn by feet, not left alone.
Hands once trembling find their rest,
As wings alight upon the chest.
A child sets stones where stories sleep,
A nurse walks slowly where the grasses weep.
The wind stirs not to move but to stay,
To bless what’s said and not yet prayed.
And when the world feels much too loud,
The garden answers softly and proudly:
“Come sit. Come be. Come feel this air,
Love hasn’t left. It always lingers here.
PWB 06. 25