Pictured above: Reverend Cherie Smith (third from left) along with her colleagues break ground on The Garden of Gratitude, Medstar Franklin Square Medical Center’s second Sacred Place.
In the heart of a bustling hospital campus in Baltimore, where everyday urgencies, and ground-shifting life moments meet rare minutes of calm, Reverend Cherie Smith is a source of solace and support. For many years, she has been instrumental in helping support patients and families, and the staff that attend to their needs. One crucial method she’s embraced involves utilizing the soothing setting of nature; her campus’s Sacred Place.
The Garden of Little Angels
Nearly 17 years ago, Reverend Cherie was first introduced to Sacred Places when members of Franklin Square nursing staff were preparing to open a newly completed garden, a Sacred Place, near the NICU and Women’s Pavilion. This garden, named the Garden of Little Angels, was envisioned as a place of peace for those grappling with profound grief—particularly the loss of infants. “I got an email asking if I would be part of a dedication service—this was my first introduction,” she recalls.
She helped plan, as part of the dedication ceremony, a libation blessing. “Every guest that came had these little metal watering cans full of water,” Reverend Cherie describes. “We spaced ourselves around the garden and poured out our intentions for those who had babies, lost babies, staff—everyone watered the garden. It was so beautiful.”
This ceremony was the first of what would become an annual remembrance event hosted by the labor and delivery team, known as “A Baby to Remember.” Here, during what can be a particularly painful season for those who’ve lost loved ones, between Thanksgiving and Christmas, families gather to remember, embraced by the garden. Between 25-30 people attend each year, some, having recently experienced the loss; and others, returning year after year.
“It provides them a place where their tears of grief and stories are welcome before they go into the holiday season,” she said.
A New Sanctuary: The Garden of Gratitude
The recent challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic brought a renewed urgency to care for the hospital’s staff. Reverend Cherie, alongside chaplains and caregivers, recognized the critical need for a dedicated space where staff could seek reprieve “away from the frontlines.” “Especially during the pandemic, the chaplains and I really shifted our gears to provide care for our staff,” she explains. The Garden of Gratitude—reserved exclusively for staff—illustrates the hospital’s approach to wellness.
Strategically located near the emergency room, this garden offers a quiet retreat from the relentless pace of hospital duties. Its design incorporates multiple sections to cater to different needs—from dining with colleagues to solitary contemplation behind a tree. “It’s right outside our emergency room—which really matters as these are the folks who don’t have quick access to any of the other hospital gardens,” Reverend Cherie points out.
The stark need for such a sanctuary became painfully evident last year following a jarring incident when a lab technician, weighing less than 100 pounds, was physically overpowered by an unruly patient who “grabbed her hair, swinging her wildly.” In the minutes after the situation was resolved, with no green space available, her only refuge was a solitary bench facing the stark expanse of the parking lot.
Empowering Through Nature
Reverend Cherie’s has witnessed firsthand, time and again, the profound impact of integrating nature into healthcare environments. Each garden provides a setting for respite and healing, unique to nature. And for those experiencing deep loss, these Sacred Places space are place “where they can come—and no one is going to tell them to stop crying, be strong, suck it up,” she emphasizes.
Even when the garden was still just a budding idea, a sense of gratitude for the green space that would eventually be created was already felt. After the first charrette, staff members thanked the hospital CEO for valuing their opinions.
Looking Forward
As the Garden of Gratitude nears completion, there is an excitement among the staff who have been involved in its creation. “People are excited to see ‘their garden’,” Reverend Cherie shares. This project, rooted deeply in community and care, promises to be a cornerstone of wellness for those who give so much of themselves every day.”
