A Single Ray of Light

“If you want to do something in honor of 9/11, acknowledge a stranger, a fellow human, instead of ignoring or (worse) fearing them.”

- - Mike Morucci, Howard County writer (and friend)

I have shared these words so often that one of these days Mr. Morucci may send me a bill.

I am placing them here again because of a single ray of light that came into a dark day yesterday. Light that comes from a garden.

All images from Howard County Government social media

From the Facebook page of County Executive Calvin Ball:

It was a thrill to join The Community Ecology Institute to celebrate the publication of a new peer reviewed article, titled "Community Gardens and the Cultivation of Social Capital", in Current Opinion in Psychology.

The research backing this article, built on 50 studies, shows how community gardens build resilience, foster belonging, and strengthen civic life. It highlights what we see every day through CEI’s programs—gardens bringing neighbors together, bridging differences, and linking communities to critical resources.

Congratulations to Dr. D’Amore and the CEI team on this milestone. Their work continues to make Howard County a national leader in connecting people, place, and planet.

The full article will be featured in the February 2026 issue of Current Opinion in Psychology.

Building community can build empathy. Building empathy can promote better mental health and wellbeing and even prevent crime. Building and maintaining community gardens can help feed the hungry and empower those who feel disempowered. Can we just stop for a minute and see how meaningful this is?

From the Community Ecology Institute:

The article highlights how community gardens build strong connections between neighbors, boost well-being and strengthen civic engagement. In other words, shared green spaces grow more than food—they cultivate trust, connection, and resilience in our communities!

We all have memories of how we experienced 9/11/01 - - if we were alive then or old enough to remember. I feel fortunate that, over time, my friend Mike’s words have become woven into those memories.

If you want to do something in honor of 9/11, acknowledge a stranger, a fellow human, instead of ignoring or (worse) fearing them.

That is why I can recognize the news from the Community Ecology Institute for what it is. Those who come to the community garden at Freetown Farm are acknowledged as fellow humans. It is not a place where they will be ignored or feared as strangers.

Shared work, shared learning, shared growth.

At first people refuse to believe a strange new thing can be done, then they see it be done - then it is done and all the world wonders why it was not done centuries ago.

- - Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

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Getting Fresh

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