There are many beautiful gardens in the city, but my absolute favorite green space is located in the backyard of my home.
I’ve always loved plants and all things that grow, but until I moved into my own home, I did not invest much time or resources in a garden.
Since the new millennium, I’ve created a very special space that I can call my own – my secret garden.
When I first moved into the house; the backyard was a mess; the grass very spotty and sickly due to the presence of a very large K-9 unit dog that used to call it home. Other than a couple of nice Japanese Maple trees. They weren’t any other garden plants.
I put in a high trellis, followed by a Gazebo. The plants were introduced based on budget more than a master plan. Birthdays and Christmas presents from the family were always additions to the garden…First a grape vine, then a black currant bush, an espaliered apple tree, a dwarf peach tree that gave ultra sweet fruits completed my ornamental fruit section of the garden.
Flowering plants were added with such passion that soon, I had no more space for any new additions.
My secret garden has become a place of refuge and quietness. Often this is where I am able to work, sit or walk around and meditate and reflect on the hectic events of the day.
Thoughts on Quite Places:
Everyone needs a quiet place in their life.
It is in quiet places that God speaks to me.
A quiet place slows down time, and silences the noise of life.
It’s strange that what I considered common and ordinary can become exotic and interesting. Each time I return to the tropics, I cannot help but be drawn to the flora and fauna in each country I visit. 
Yet when I get visitors, they are so intrigued by the common daffodil, inspired by how everything grows so easily here in a temperate zone. 
The irony of it all is that gardeners here try to create gardens with a tropical feel and even push the limits with sub tropical species like brugmansias and bougainvilleas. 
The extra work of winterizing these plants doesn’t seem to faze these exotic plant enthusiasts. Wrapping up banana trees with layers of burlap and clearing out your garage for other potted tropical plants require lots of hard work. 
Thought: Often we denigrate ourselves and struggle with self worth; yet God does not consider us common and ordinary. In many ways, each one of us is special to Him.
The majestic mountains peaks covered with snow, the fast flowing River under the suspension bridge, and Whistler Resort. 
You should really try it for yourself – “stay-cations” are great! 
I’m way more health conscious now, watch my calories most of the time, take walks a couple of times a week, play hockey on a young men’s league, spend more down-time in my garden.
Health is not simply the absence of sickness. Hannah Green
20 Years in Canada can and has changed me quite a bit. There was a time I used to shy away from the sun. At times I found it was a nuisance to have to put on sunscreen and a hat. Not anymore! Now I love the sunshine – I “photosynthesize” and glow in it! When the sun is up – so am I. 
On top of the benefits of vitamin D, sunshine gets many out of their comfortable sofas into ball parks, swimming pools, and banishes winter related SAD. (Seasonal Affective Disorder)
Sometimes when we have so little of it, then, we begin to appreciate it more!
There’s also a sense of peace and calm that penetrates the soul when one is not cloistered in some tiny little space.
The drive up is spectacular; they didn’t name it the “Sea-to-sky” highway for no reason. You have to pass some glaciers, majestic waterfalls, a sheer cliff wall rising 500 meters into the heavens called the “Chief” and many lakes, before you get into Whistler/Blackcomb Resort.
Awe and wonder keeps one humble and appreciative to God for life and His Creation.
There is an elementary school field where I spent many a sunny day hanging out with my best friends and siblings, kicking a soccer ball around, dressed like a famous British Soccer club…long bobby socks, white long sleeved sweaters and black shorts. Wearing sweaters under a sweltering 32 degree sun wasn’t the smartest thing we did…but we did look good. Oh! To be a child again! No cares…no worries…just living for the next sunny day.
The years fly by quickly and before I knew it, I was enlisted into the Army. Most of my Infantry days were spent around a tiny village near the beach; a beach that my dad had brought us countless times when we were kids. This place is extra special as it’s also the place where I took my first stroll, hand in hand, with my only girlfriend and future wife. I would go on to spend another 12 years around this place, after I signed a contract with the Air Force.
Recently, I took a stroll down memory lane, when I returned to these places. There is a food center in that village by the sea; and to my pleasant surprise, I found the same food stores I had regularly ate at nearly 30 years ago. Sitting down to a meal in those exact same stools and tables brought back many more good memories of a time long ago.
Old familiar places helps you make fresh commitments to those things you valued most. Time erodes some of those things and they require a re-visitation.
Through the seasons, there’s always a new surprise that awaits you. 
You might get to experience the thrill of walking among 20,000 snow geese, or you might just get to walk among tall ships that have berthed on the docks. The ever-changing seasons brings with it, a new coat of floral colors. 
Multi-colored crocuses in early spring…pink-purple grass flowers in early summer…purple lupines that cover the entire field in Gary Park.
The same park that served as a frozen rink during cold winters becomes a field full of kite enthusiast during the windy days of summer.
There’s something about getting back to nature that connects us to God. 