Members of Unity Church of Life of Murfreesboro joined together this August to build and dedicate a meditation garden and spiritual sanctuary in memory of the brief life of one of the church’s youngest members.

The garden was the brainchild of 18-year-old Adam Hardaway, who wanted to complete the garden as an Eagle Scout project in memory of his nephew, Silas Rock Botner. Planning and construction of the project came exactly one year after the 3-year-old’s tragic death in a drowning accident in August 2007.

Silas was a familiar face at Unity Church of Life, where he was one of several children in the nursery. His mother, Amanda Botner, a Yoga instructor at MTSU, has also been a member of the church for several years, so when Hardaway approached church officials and members with his plans for the memorial garden, the idea was graciously welcomed.

Roy Watts, a local landscaper and member of Unity Church of Life, was approached by Hardaway to review his plans for the garden space.

“I thought the plans looked great and was very excited to see something happen with that space,” Watts said. “The area was really rough, lots of rocks and cement. The church had been really wanting to do something with it to make it more usable, but ultimately for me it was about honoring Silas and his family and doing what I could to help them.”

Hardaway’s plans for the garden included a shaded retreat in a corner of the church’s back lot, meditation benches and a raised planter for flowering bushes and trees. Watts says that after Hardaway presented his ideas to him, he and his parents immediately got to work announcing work days at church meetings, organizing volunteers and finalizing plans for the construction of the garden.

“Once the Hardaways set the work days, we announced them in church and had members come and help,” Watts said. “The church had roughly 10 – 12 volunteers over the course of the two work days. There is so much behind-the-scenes stuff involved in projects like this that folks don’t really think about, and the Hardaways handled it all with grace, love and ease.”

Felicia Searcy, Reverend of Unity Church of Life, knew Silas when he was a baby in the church’s nursery. She says that when Hardaway came to her with the idea of the garden, she knew that it would be a special memorial to the little boy.

“Adam came to talk to me to see what we had in mind and to share his thoughts,” Searcy said. “Then he came up with a plan and showed it to us before they started anything. I was excited and honored to be a part of something like that and to be able to have something on grounds to honor Silas, as well.”

Construction of the garden was led by Hardaway’s scout troop and family and took place over two weeks. Watts says that volunteers worked hard to build the garden in the two Saturdays declared as workdays for the project, and that Jim Hardaway, Silas’s grandfather, was instrumental in its completion.

“The biggest portion of this project was the raised bed,” Watts said. “It was approximately 2′ high and 20′ long and had to turn a corner. Adam’s father, Jim Hardaway, who is a contractor, was the guiding force in the construction of the raised beds and the project as a whole. His experience and knowledge were a huge asset in this project.”

Now that the meditation garden is complete, members of the church feel like the project was worth the work and are very pleased to have a reminder of Silas and the joy he brought to the church. Reverend Searcy says she believes that remembering Silas in this way is important to the church and hopes that the project will bring members of the church closer together.

First, we will benefit from having the garden, and then we benefit from having something on grounds to honor Silas and the time he was with us in church,” Searcy said. “I think it is especially helpful for our children who knew him. Then, I hope that it brings comfort and a sense of connection to Silas and to the family. It is humbling to see such beauty and life come from a time of deep sorrow and death. I know that the people who were involved with the project from the church feel a deeper sense of connection to Silas and his family and feel honored to be part of his memorial.”

Searcy also says that she hopes anyone visiting the garden will take time to understand what the garden represents.

“It causes us to stop and appreciate life, one another and our kids because it makes us aware of how fragile and precious life is,” Searcy said. “My hope is that when people step into the garden they will take a moment and thank God for life and appreciate it in that moment.”

For more information about the Silas Botner Memorial Garden, contact the Unity Church of Life at (615) 907-6033 or visit the garden at 130 South Cannon Ave. For more information about the life of Silas Rock Botner or to donate to the Silas Rock Botner Memorial Scholarship fund, visit myspace.com/silasrock

botnerscholarship.