Celebrating Creation in a beautiful garden

Call it a stroll through a forest; a walk along curvy pathways; a resting place between colourful flowerbeds. Whatever you call it, you are invited to join together for the second annual Celebration of Creation at the Summerland Ornamental Gardens on Sunday afternoon, September 14 gathering at the Gazebo at 2 p.m.

It’s a great time of year to enjoy the gardens, one of Summerland’s great little secrets. It’s a fine time of year to express our delight and appreciation for nature, for creation, for the life of the natural world including our privileged place within it.

We will walk through nine stations together. At each stop we will share the same words:

God, who brings us together,
re-member us and all we care for.
Add your prayer to ours – for this land, this world,
and our daily lives.

At one point we will pause and look out of the KVR train trestle:

Apart from the steam train itself, the Trout Creek trestle is the most iconic physical memorial to the age of steam in the South Okanagan. Built between 1910 and 1915, the section of the KVR in Summerland between Trout Creek and Bathville Road is the only preserved section of the railway that is still used to this day.  As the highest bridge span constructed on the KVR standing tall at 240 feet,  the trestle offers a fantastic vantage point of the surrounding land! Enjoy the view, and possibly a tooting whistle.

If we dare, we will enter the Fairy Garden, a place of imagination and wonder:

Welcome to wonderland. The Fairy Garden is a shaded place of imaginative wisdom and comfort. Fairy gardens are miniature gardens filled with magic. Tiny houses, chairs, bird houses, tea pots, lawns, and ponds — fairy worlds which you create in any space you have — inside or out. All gardens encourage us to develop, use, and extend our God-given imagination and inspiration in all aspects of our shared life within and throughout creation. Large or small, large and small, creation is beautiful.

Near the end of our pilgrimage we will pause in the Shade Garden:

One of the most popular places in these gardens is the Shade Garden. Especially on hot summer days, gangly tree limbs protect green plants and colourful flowers below. A light breeze ambles past shrubs and trees creating an oasis of calm. We all need protection and comfort from time to time, from the hot sun to the bristle of life’s circumstances. Shade can mean many things: retreat, restoration, rest. Walk slowly; breathe deeply; savour the stillness.

Afterwards we will re-gather to share refreshments and whatever finger food treats folks will bring. We are so grateful to access these gardens tended by the Friends of the Gardens, and to our hosts, Bonnie Fulton and her team.

Some of the ground is level and fully accessible for those with mobility concerns. Travel as you are able. Some will walk in silence and solitude. Others will chat with friends. Everyone is welcome to join this unique physical and natural event as you are able and inspired.

Please confirm your interest by email which will help us plan our hospitality. Hope you can join us.

God, who brings us together,
re-member us and all we care for.
Add your prayer to ours – for this land, this world,
and our daily lives.

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