The Healing Power of Nature
Ziva Caspi
For me, the Home Front initiative is a home — a home that has everything: a loving and united family, warmth and sensitivity, mutual action, and a lot of care; a place that knows how to do good for others, a place that knows how to give.
Shortly after I began volunteering in the initiative a little over three months ago, I was offered to manage and lead a small project — The Greenhouse. In a short time, the greenhouse team grew to 10 volunteers. We all rallied around one goal — to bring a smile to the faces of the evacuees who came to us at the end of the Home Front cycle, by giving each family five seedlings in beautiful, aesthetic pots.
On days when there are no visits from families, the greenhouse buzzes with activity — collecting seedling donations from nurseries and kind-hearted people along the way, planting in nice containers, and arranging the display in the greenhouse. Each family and their needs — plants for the home, balcony, garden, etc.
A little light shines on the faces of the family members when their hands are full of this abundance of green, and, not infrequently, we volunteers find tears of emotion in our own eyes. The greenhouse volunteers complement the tireless work of the Home Front volunteers, bringing a sense of home wherever the families go.
Sol Keren
At the root of the word ‘greenhouse’ (ח.מ.ם) is a nurturing and protective environment that provides evacuees with added therapeutic value through plants. Being around plants at home is almost equivalent to being in nature. Even wallpaper or artificial plants have a positive effect.
The ultimate peak moment is when the evacuees spend time in the little greenhouse with eyes wide open, scanning for plants that suit their needs, and after selecting them, seeing their smiles light up their faces — their hearts expand.
There were a few cases of evacuees who hesitated to take plants, calling them ‘just plants.’ After a short conversation, we discovered the reason for their reluctance, offered a brief explanation, and matched them with a suitable plant for their space — and their hearts opened. For me, that is the peak moment.
I am grateful for the privilege of being part of Home Front’s Greenhouse project, acting as a conduit to pass on knowledge, connection to plants through observation, listening, and patience. Regarding the actual work in the greenhouse, I enjoy maintenance, planting, sanitation, design, and adapting the plants to their new homes and the greenhouse itself.
Naomi Yagel
I come to the greenhouse on Mondays and am immediately drawn into the maintenance and rescue of plants – watered by hand, not all of them survive. I choose to care for the plants and be fully immersed in gardening, after seven months of working as a caregiver for the children of evacuees, who experienced trauma, some coming from bereaved families after “the Black Sabbath“.
After refreshing, rehabilitating, stabilizing, transferring to more suitable containers, pinching, pruning, and cleaning, I move to the emotional part: discovering which plants the greenhouse has given away and how they have become a tiny source of light and comfort in their new homes.
The activity in the greenhouse replenishes precious resources I had lost — sanity, hope, innocence, trust. I also trained as a garden therapist, and I am sure that there is nothing like the healing power of nature for personal restoration during this period.
