Musings on rose bushes...

Pruning rose bushes is pretty harsh.  They are super thorny and it's not any fun to try and reach in with a pair of pruning shears and lop off the branches.   I usually get scratched and often end up with a thorn or two imbedded in my arm or hand, and when I am done it doesn't look very pretty for a while.

As I was pruning my rose bush this year I was thinking about what a hard job it was.  Then I thought about the rose bush...imagine what it feels like for the rose bush!  To have all your branches stripped away, all the greenery cut off, and be left as a bunch of little thorny sticks no more than 12 inches long.

As hard as it is to prune a rose bush, it is so much harder on the bush.

BUT, the pruning of the rose bush makes the blooms so much larger and prettier.  It keeps the bush healthier and stronger.  Without being pruned a rose bush grows spindly and too tall and doesn't produce any blooms and is often susceptible to bug infestation and disease.  It's amazing to watch a rose bush change from a few thorny sticks into a lush bush with beautiful blossoms.  The transformation is remarkable.

Sometimes I feel like a rose bush.  It's not fun to be pruned and I feel awfully bare and thorny sometimes.  But, I know that with pruning comes growth.  It makes me stronger, healthier, and can make my life even more beautiful than it is.  Even though I may not like it, it is good for me and I can grow from it.

Huh...that got pretty deep.

Who knew yard work could be so enlightening?