Yesterday, I was thinking about what season I’m in and the questions that arise in this time. It came to me that I and the community I am hoping will grow are very much like the bonsai tree. I’ve grown a deep appreciation for this growing technique which produces such a beautiful beautiful tree that is small but so ancient looking… makes you stop and sit with it for a while. Strong trunk and roots… grown with much care. There is a need to shape, wire, prune, and guide, but not too much or it will die. And yet not enough and it will grow out of control and gangly. Patience… care… water… right soil… right pot… It’s all so complicated. But the best thing is time. Just keep it alive.

I feel like this is where I am. I’d rather start the guiding and the shaping early, so that I take on a beautiful shape from the beginning rather than having to correct when correcting is so much more difficult. I would rather prune early so that I become full and green rather than getting stretched thin and having to regrow. But it never stops and it takes so much time.

So I am going to look for bonsai trees again. It has been a long time (I wasn’t ready before), but I am ready to have this image, this responsibility again in my life.

This tree here is not one of mine… here is a LINK to some of the ones i am beginning on and what I am learning.