Shannon's Corner

  There is another important part of gardening: Pruning. It can feel counterintuitive. Why would you cut something that is growing? Why remove a branch that looks healthy? Why let go of something that has been part of the plant for so long? Because sometimes growth requires making room. Transition often brings an invitation to prune. Life transitions have a way of revealing what is no longer working. A role may no longer fit. A relationship may need new boundaries. A routine that once served you may now leave you depleted. An expectation you carried for years may no longer align with who you are becoming. Even good things can sometimes need to be released when they no longer belong in this particular season. And that can be difficult. We can become attached to the familiar simply because it is familiar. We may hold onto commitments because we said yes years ago. We may continue carrying responsibilities because we don't know who we will be without them. We may fear that letting go ...

  If you have been following along, we have been talking about sowing seeds in the midst of life transitions and cultivating the soil where those seeds are planted. But there is another part of gardening that can be especially difficult during transition: Waiting for something to grow. You plant the seed. You tend the soil. You water it. And then…nothing seems to happen. At least, nothing you can see. Life transitions can feel much the same way. You may have made the decision, taken the next step, begun exploring new possibilities, or released something that once defined your life. You may be doing all the “right” things, yet you still don't have much evidence that anything is changing. You wonder: Am I making progress? Did I make the right decision? Why don't I feel different yet? When will I know what comes next? But what if there is more happening beneath the surface than you realize? Growth isn't always visible. When a seed is planted, there is a period when nothing app...

  Have you ever walked along a path and noticed how different the ground can be? There may be hard, well-worn paths where nothing seems to grow. There may be rocky places where plants struggle to establish deep roots. There may be areas tangled with thorns and weeds. And then there are places where the soil is rich, ready, and full of life. As I think about the different soils Jesus describes in the Parable of the Sower, I am reminded that transition often reveals the soil we are carrying within us. Transition isn't simply about figuring out what comes next. It is also an invitation to notice what is happening within us as we move through what is changing around us. Sometimes We Find Ourselves on Hard Soil After a difficult season, it is easy for our hearts to become hardened. Maybe you have experienced disappointment after disappointment. Maybe something you hoped would happen didn't. Perhaps you've had to say goodbye to people, places, roles, dreams, or expectations. Over...