It’s been a while since it has rained in Indiana.
That line seems like a fitting first sentence for where this meditation is heading. Like the crunchy grass and prematurely fallen leaves scattered on my sidewalk and lawn, I also feel parched. Most of the time, you get insights or wisdom from my writings. Today, you get a confession.
Despite the arid conditions, I decided to mow my struggling lawn (less to cut the grass than to put fresh wheel tracks on it so it would look nice). Again, the metaphors. I was listening to music and going through the back-and-forth motions when I noticed something was bothering me. I stopped the mower and tried to discern what exactly was pressing on my chest.
It took a minute, but I soon realized what it was. One of the ornamental trees at the corner of my house had a few offshoot branches that had grown far beyond its nicely contoured shape. Yes, these offshoots bothered me. Call it obsessive-compulsive if you will. But I call it the dread of what’s to come. A couple of times each year, I spend hours pruning them back. And I don’t like doing it. More metaphors.
I came across a quote the other day that I wrote a couple of years ago but never did anything with: “There is no remedying the whole until the parts themselves find wholeness.” The idea is that the healing and wholeness we seek in the world, in our country, or in our communities will always be out of reach until we begin to find healing and wholeness in ourselves.
I hope you see where I am going here.
The pruning process is tedious, but necessary. It takes work to identify the diseased or dead parts, or the offshoots that block the sunlight. But ultimately, the work results in a healthier tree with greater flowering and fruit. The metaphors, the metaphors.
So it is with us. The holy inner work of our lives requires us to face what is dead or diseased within us—those parts that keep light from breaking through. But when the pruning begins, more light enters our inner darkness. And in that light, we begin to flower, to bear fruit, and to let love resurrect our true self—for our good and for the good of the whole.
And I know the work must begin in me first.
Question
What unhealthy habits or attitudes in my life need to be cut back so love can grow?
Peace,
Brandon
When Misunderstanding is the Cause of Death
In my novel And So By Fire, I imagined a society where truth had become relative and arbitrary, where reality itself could be manipulated by those who knew how to control perception. In this world, fear was the most powerful tool of governance. Leaders didn’t just rule through laws—they ruled through narrative. They controlled people by shaping what the…