Jerry and Tinka Finley stand with Rev. Gail Avery in the Memorial Garden holding a tiled plaque dedicating the garden to their son Geoffrey Finley. The dedication took place on Sunday, June 18, 2017.
The following is the blessing read at the dedication.
May this Garden be a home to all who enter.
And every time you come here,
may all the weight of the world
fall from your shoulders.
May every heart be tranquil here,
blessed by a peace the world cannot give.
May this be a safe place,
where one can gain understanding and acceptance.
Where you can be as you are,
without the need of any mask
of pretense or image.
May it be a place of discovery,
where the possibilities that sleep
deep within our souls can emerge,
as we hear God calling forth
all that is yet to come to birth.
May it be a place of welcome,
especially for the broken and diminished.
Where healing and growth are loved into being,
where dignity and forgiveness prevail.
A Garden where love and patience are restored,
and the sight of our destination is never lost.
May we ALL have the eyes to see
that no visitor, arrives without a gift…
And no one leaves without a blessing…
~Inspired by John O’Donohue’s “For a New Home"