We Will Rebuild - Hope Springs Eternal

It was devastating to come home from an education conference and find our garden destroyed, but we have had an outpouring of support from our community, and the kids are ready to rebuild.

Find out more here:
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/top-stories/peoria-community-garden-destroyed-by-city/

So, instead of our traditional First Apprentice programming, this Friday we will be gardening all afternoon.  I had the kids come up with what they would like to plant.  We might have to go over a bit about climate since we had bananas, mangos, oranges and lemons on our list for the new garden.

Although heartbroken, there is a lesson in this experience.  We talked about the rights of the city.  At first the kids weren't sure.  It seemed to them that the city can do anything.  What about the right of the private citizens, the property owners, or even tenants? They had never thought of themselves as having rights, especially in relation to the city.

The lesson of this was a powerful one for our Kindness Ambassadors.  There is no reason to allow others to abuse or mistreat us. There is also no reason to retaliate with violence or destruction. We can respectfully express our anger through outlets like the media and social media.  We can ban together and work to make changes that will prevent this from happening again.

Hope springs eternal, like the beautiful abundant goodness of Mother Nature.  
​​

The vine of one of our prolific cucumber plants. Heartbreaking.