As much as things were different this past year, nature is unstoppable. So, too, is the human spirit. The gratitude we have for our public parks is stronger than ever, and we now know with certainty that parks nourish the soul in trying times.

When our lives were normal in the “before times,” we kicked off our 50th Anniversary, and the Friends and the City of Boston signed a landmark formal cooperation agreement to enhance the care of the Boston Common, Public Garden and Commonwealth Avenue Mall. Then the pandemic hit suddenly, and we had to immediately develop a safe collaborative plan with the Parks Department to care for the parks and the people who work in them. Everyone on our teams quickly came together, and worked productively to ensure that our essential parks care work was moving forward safely.

Our work to restore the Shaw 54th Regiment Memorial also paused, as Covid safety precautions were introduced. Working with our Partners the National Park Service, City of Boston, and Museum of African American History we were able to continue the dramatic removal of the bronze and surrounding stone from the site to conservation studios, and at the same time facilitate dynamic and well-attended virtual Community Conversations about race and social justice.

Our monuments in the Common, Garden, and Mall tell powerful stories — including those of abolitionists, suffragists, and people fighting for freedom and justice. We are grateful that the restoration of the Shaw 54th gives us the opportunity to lift up the voices of the 54th Regiment, and be inspired by their story. At the same time, we are committed to scrutinizing our monuments and finding creative ways to confront problematic narratives as well as lift up untold ones.

As we learned to live with social distancing and masks, spring progressed in the parks and people sought them as healing oases of nature in a difficult time. When the weather warmed, we started seeing people enjoying socially distanced sunbathing and dinner on lawn chairs or blankets on the Mall, proud parents taking photos of their graduating seniors by the Public Garden lagoon bridge, and people gathering for yet another event to support Black Lives Matter on the Common. It was inspiring to see the Common be sought after as a place to speak truth to power. America’s first park has always been a place for celebration and protest, and this year in the wake of George Floyd’s murder it was more important than ever.

Time and again, we have found the continued isolation we experience in this pandemic can be eased by the beauty and respite of the Common, the Garden, and the Mall. As the brilliant colors of fall merged into the stark beauty of winter, the parks embraced children sledding, dogs playing in the snow, and people enjoying daily walks in the beautiful crisp air.

This past year has seen immeasurable loss, and tested us in new ways. Through it all, we have seen how inextricably linked these parks are with the people who love them. Together, parks and people are at the heart of our city. These three havens of natural beauty are more important than ever. We need them, and they need us to care and advocate for them, now and always.