My name is Taylan Morcol. A few years ago, I was part of the Green Team/Earth Ministry (GTEM), a group of volunteers taking care of the community garden at Church of the Mediator.
I found out about GTEM when I was shopping at the weekly farmers market hosted by Mediator one day. At the time, I was a grad student at CUNY. Most of my school work took place at the computer and in the lab. I was missing a connection to the earth. So I was pretty excited to discover GTEM in my own back yard! (It was about a 15 minute walk from where I was living).
Over the next year or so, I spent most of my Saturdays at the garden. I looked forward to Saturdays. At first, it was all about playing in the dirt, working with plants, and learning about permaculture. But over time, I really started to connect with the people there too. Chelo, Stephanie, Lucy, Sandie, Lalo, Zeus, Linda, and others; these people became my community. Spending time with these folks every week, and especially having the kids around, I felt like I had a second family.
Sharing meals with the garden family was one of my favorite parts about being on GTEM. I remember one summer day at the garden. It was a work day. I don’t remember what kind of work we did that day (probably shoveling mulch or something). But I do remember our dinner.
As the sun was setting and the day was turning into night, we started setting up the dinner table. But it wasn’t inside the church as usual. It was outside, in the corner of garden, by the south gate, near the raised beds and the sunflower garden. There were candles or lanterns or something, casting a warm glow over colorful food and cheerful faces. The conversation was mellow and fun. Every now and again, someone would walk by on the sidewalk outside the fence and chat with us for a minute. It was a warm, friendly, neighborly feeling that night, sharing a meal with my garden family after a hard days work.
As with all things in life, my days with the Green Team eventually came to an end. But not before making new friends and new memories. I’m grateful to Mediator for providing me with a sense of connection to community and the earth during a time when I needed it. It was a special time and place for me.
Taylan B. Morcol