I recently was up to visit Marc’s sister, Katrina, and her family in Seattle earlier this month. As the cousins were playing, I enjoyed her huge and beautiful backyard. For my sister-in-law, gardening is one more chore for caring for caring for her house. For me, it was an enjoyable way to relax on spring break. She happily handed over the gloves, pruning shears and pointed me toward the green waste can. She was particularly intimidated by the idea of pruning the huge climbing rose. This thorny vine was over twelve feet tall and wound it’s branches over the living room‘s bay window. She was afraid to hurt it, yet she knew that cutting back rose bushes is exactly what you need to do. Pruning back roses helps encourage new growth and bloom.
It reminded me of how sometimes we need to let some old parts go, to allow new growth to burst forth. St. Andrew’s has endured a long season of winter in our transitional time. Yet, this spring of 2015, I am witnessing the signs of budding new growth and increased energy. Some of this growth has been stimulated by the pruning and cutting back that we faced last year. With God’s help, the St. Andrew’s is entering a season of fruitfulness again.