"The way is in the heart"
Buddha.
Yesterday was the first anniversary of the 6.3 earthquake that brought so much death and destruction to Christchurch. I found myself in Lyttelton, epicentre of that fateful quake, more by chance than by design but I am so glad. I was there with a friend, Miruspeg, and we met some lovely people at the Community Gardens. They welcomed us in, gave us lunch (a pot-luck mix of home-baking and fresh produce from the gardens) and once again showed us the meaning of community.
After lunch we wandered down to what has become the village square and stood in a large circle, holding hands with other Lyttelton residents and visitors. Gradually we all became still and silent, and at 12.51pm we reflected on all that happened to our city and people one year ago. Afterwards, Peggy and I sat down and began sewing hearts onto ribbon to make garlands that we could hang on the fences around Lyttelton (you may remember a previous blogpost about this). We placed the banners and hearts where we thought people would see them with the hope that they would lift spirits just a little. Some of the flags were generously donated by fellow blogger Bimbimbie.

