Day 90, March 31

Yesterday I recounted how I had pruned rose bushes last fall and that several days ago, I had discovered new growth. The act of pruning is not a painless one. The rose bushes suffered physical trauma at having the branches cut back to mere stubs. Yet they survived and are once again preparing to bloom. In the last few months, I've watched friends suffer a different kind of pruning. They, too, suffered trauma. They, too, found the necessary pruning painful, frightening, and humbling. And they, too, are preparing to bloom once more. Life dealt them a hard hand, but they met it with courage, grace, and humor. Most of us undergo periods of pruning during our lives. We suffer through physical ailments, job disappointments, family problems, and a host of other things that belong to this mortal existence. How we handle these times, how we face pain and tragedy largely shapes who and what we are what we become. I pray for my friends. More, I pray that I can emulate them ... and know that I can never match their strength, their faith, their determination to carry on. Still, I try to follow their example. So, for today, I am grateful for people who emerge triumphant from life's pruning shears.