pruning

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Pruning

Pruning. . .

not only speaks of

cutting back

but also of the

ultimate blossoming

that takes place

when it is done properly.

-Henri Nouwen

In horticultural, pruning encourages growth. But knowing where to cut to maximize growth requires expertise. The image of pruning has become increasingly important to me. One place I’ve tried to prune is my natural impulse to solve someone else’s problems rather than support that person’s own decisions.

by

Pruning

Clear away what

you don’t need

and what

you don’t really want

but have gotten used to.

I have been in a clearing-out mode for the last few weeks-books, clothes, out-of date files of paper, flowerpots tucked away after the plants died.  We used to move a lot and it was easier to de-accession possessions we no longer used or saved thinking  would be used in the future.

Rather than taking on a whole room at once, I tackle one side of a room or one shelf or one part of a shelf. I throw away what no one will use and I try to find a home or a person who really could use the give-away.

My husband and I cleared a room of doubled up bookshelves  and donated more than a hundred books to a trailer at the town dump. The supervisor asked my husband what he thought of the empty shelves. He answered, “She loves them.”