Following a story’s thread home

A couple years ago, I learned the origin story of Nature Sacred, the nonprofit organization for whom I produced BenchTalk: Wisdoms Inspired in Nature. About 30 years ago, Tom and Kitty Stoner traveled to London. They arrived too early to check into their hotel, so The Connaught concierge suggested they walk across the street to Mount Street Gardens. Tired and weary from their overnight flight, they walked through a red brick arch into a peaceful garden in the center of the city and instantly felt a sense of serenity and calm. The garden is shaded by 300-year old plane trees and lined with weathered brown benches with plaques memorializing those who had been there before. It’s ensconced between two churches on either end, and a school, and four-story brick buildings. Tom and Kitty experienced an epiphany. As Tom would later write in his book, “We realized then and there that the space was much more than just a public garden. That insight was the culmination of something that both of us had experienced in our lives but had not quite named: the idea that certain spaces can transform you, that certain spaces are sacred.”

On their return to the U.S., Tom and Kitty decided to create such “sacred places”, as they call them, in areas that don’t have access to nearby green and to nature’s healing power. They went on to build an organization that is now Nature Sacred, which under their daughter Alden’s leadership has helped create 136 such community green spaces across the U.S. While each space is unique, they all share one feature: a wooden bench with a weatherproof yellow journal tucked underneath. Tom and Kitty didn’t know what to expect when they placed the journal in the very first sacred place, but when they returned to the bench a few weeks later, the journal was filled with people’s reflections. BenchTalk is a collection of the wisdoms, encouragements, and life lessons found in thousands of journal pages from over a hundred sacred places in the past nearly three decades.

When I first learned about this origin story, I thought to myself wouldn’t it be wonderful if the general manager of The Connaught knew about it—how a stay at his hotel 30 years ago led to so much good. So I googled and found Sandeep Bhalla’s name and email, and decided to write to him. I asked if we could meet, as I had an upcoming trip to London; I was keen to tell him the story in person and give him a copy of BenchTalk and of Tom’s book. He responded quickly and graciously agreed.

Sandeep was touched by the story. He mentioned that there’s an annual garden party at Mount Street Gardens for neighborhood residents and businesses, and he mentioned the name of community leader and organizer extraordinaire Anne Gray. On my next trip to London a few months later, I met with Anne, simply following the story further. We sat in the gardens getting to know each other and she invited me to her home nearby. She too loved BenchTalk and how the seeds for the book took root in her beloved community garden. I remember the day we met, it was October 20, 2023. Tom Stoner had passed away the day before. That day I went to one of the churches in Mount Street Gardens and said a prayer for him; may he be resting in the most beautiful sacred place of all.

Fast forward to about ten days ago, when we launched BenchTalk in Mount Street Gardens and inaugurated three Nature Sacred benches complete with yellow journals—the first sacred place outside of the U.S.—bringing this story home.

Anne led the efforts and organized an elegant and meaningful celebration. Community members and dignitaries gathered under a blue sky to enjoy canapés and champagne offered by neighborhood restaurants, as a trio of musicians played, and flowers adorned every corner. The two church bells rang as Alden and Kitty cut the green ribbon to inaugurate the sacred place, and we walked through the floral arch portal along the brick path to the benches to write our reflections in the yellow journal’s opening pages. It still feels quite surreal.

It all started with a simple thought to honor an origin story by retracing its steps. I had no idea that connecting with Sandeep, and then with Anne, would lead to such a glorious celebration or the opening of a sacred place in London; that was never my intention. I simply wanted to relay an inspiring story to those who in some way were connected to it and to share BenchTalk’s hopeful message.

I think it speaks to the power of a story—how it touches people, how others want to become a part of it too, how one gesture leads to another and connects people and communities. If we are paying attention, and take that first step to share.

On my last day in London, I spent hours sitting in this new sacred place, seeing kids from the adjacent school playing with red balloons, watching passersby taking a moment to rest, discovering the yellow journals and sharing their thoughts.

I wanted to capture a video of myself reading one of the BenchTalk entries, so I asked my bench-sharer if she wouldn’t mind recording me. I turned to one of my favorite reflections and started reading. When I finished, my bench-sharer was visibly moved, tears in her eyes. I asked if she was ok. She said that what I had read really hit home. We sat in silence for a few minutes, listening to the birds. Then she added, I’m from Israel, my children are still there. I said, may the peace and serenity we’re experiencing at this moment extend to all our children inshAllah. We shared an understanding glance.

She asked if she could take a photo of what I had read and of the cover of the book, I imagine to purchase it. I gifted her my copy of BenchTalk. She was surprised and grateful and asked if we could take a selfie with the book.

For three days in London, we had meetings and curated conversations and events with hundreds of people to share the essence of BenchTalk and these sacred places of healing that Nature Sacred helps create. Sometimes it just takes a brief moment on a bench between two people praying for peace to reveal what words cannot—and to remind ourselves, in a world that urgently wants us to forget, who we truly are.

human.

kind.

Prayers for peace. With love,

Salma

PS: Wanted to end with another favorite, timely entry from BenchTalk; this book is a gem.

May there come a day when man lives in peace. When all recognize that we are children on this salty diamond in space, that every human is my companion. Then instruments of war will become artifacts of a darker time. Then art and love will rule over all, and children will sleep safe and sound on both sides of the tracks.

Ameen.