A few days ago, Hebs and I braved the ghettos and went out to the National Arboretum. As surprising as it sounds, there are actually some pretty bad parts of DC. The main goal for the day was to see their collection of bonsai trees.
Bonsai are fascinating. They are small trees that have been trimmed and trained to be a certain size and shape. These trees are sometimes cultivated for years, no generations. We saw one that had been cultivated since 1625. Unbelievable.
These little trees are testaments of someone's dedicated work and effort to create something beautiful. There were many that were a couple of hundreds years old (not so unbelieveable in comparison to the 1625 but imagine all of the people who dedicatedly watered and trained that plant over several hundred years). I'm pretty sure that if I had been in charge, it would have died. I'm not so good at watering plants.
I was pretty blown away by the whole exhibit. It got me thinking. Bonsai are like me. Over a lifetime, I am gradually training and growing and becoming something beautiful. It doesn't happen all at once and may be uncomfortable in the process but if I keep trying, at some point, I'll become the what I was meant to be.
Let's take this redwood bonsai as an example. When I think of redwoods, I picture huge trees, right? Well, this is a redwood that has been trained to remain a tiny version of the massive giants. Under the careful hand of a master, it was trained into the master's vision.
I think I may be in one of those uncomfortable times. It's not so fun picking up your life to start over again but a part of me knows that this is where we are supposed to be. I'm not so sure yet what I'm supposed to be doing but I'll just keep moving along and trusting that there is a purpose and an ultimate plan. It's been hard, coming to a new place and not knowing a soul. Let's hope for the best.
6 comments:
Looks like a neat place!
I know it's hard moving across the country and not knowing anyone, but now you know me! :) Us new people can stick together.
Your parable of the bonsai reminds me of the parable from Mere Christianity:
"Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised.
But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards.
You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself."
Good luck with one of the painful parts of the reno!
It makes me think that even though I think that I am going to grow up to be something big and wonderful, maybe God is cramming me into a tiny pot and cutting off all of my branches...or did you mean something different?
Incredible! What an amazing feat and you captured the beauty of it so well. I think that the art of bonsai tending really is meant to be so much more and you illustrated that wonderfully.
We are glad you are here :)
Gentry! I hadn't looked at your blog for a bit and wow, did I miss out on a lot! Moving across the country and a baby on the way! Such fun, wonderful things! I am so excited for you guys!! Congratulations on it all!
This is soooo neat!! Thank you for the parable, it's something I needed to hear :)
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