The Secret Garden

image courtesy of wikimedia.com

A classic children’s story and film, The Secret Garden is a wonderful story for young and old alike. My sister read this book with me when I was growing up and we delighted in the mystery, the suspense, the tale of friendship, healing and redemption. One Sunday recently TCM showed it on TV and I re-watched the film that was made before I was born…which is a long time ago!

And what came out of it was seeing again how faith, attitude, and love can change what is into what can be. For those of you who don’t know this charming story, it is about a walled garden in England that has been locked up for 10 years, since the owner’s wife was killed in the garden by a falling tree branch. Their child, now 10, lays crippled in a bed, never going outside, and growing up lonely. The owner’s niece, who has grown up in the Crown Colony of India, comes to live with her uncle and discovers little Colin hidden away in his bedroom, fully believing he will die as a child.

I won’t give away the rest but the healing powers of nature come into play, as well as the faith, love and friendship that arise between the children. What I walked away with this time was a fervent desire to encourage each of you to read this charming story, many of you for the first time. Or rent this sappy old movie, which I adore. It is pretty simple given all the special effects we are used to, but I for one am continually drawn to these simple old movies where the story often comes out right in the end and there is a clear moral teaching in it.

Maybe this is my reaction to the craziness and uncertainty and unwanted changes that are occurring in this world. A return to something simple, clear, and morally right feels good. Still, it is a lesson worth remembering about how powerful nature is in the healing process, how a clear vision and faith in that vision can make a difference, and how having a strong friendship and support system can change a life.