“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.”
― Frederick Douglass
How have you encouraged strength in a child?
The Forest Floor
Ecosystems are continually rebuilding themselves. A fallen tree is not simply nature’s garbage, a dead thing in the way—it is a part of the ongoing process of building and rebuilding a forest. The forest floor is as much a part of the healthy whole as the canopy of leaves.
How are you nourished by the life of someone who has died?
Follow the Artist
“Restoration is a skilled profession. You might even call it an art in its own right, except that it is frowned on to be original. First rule of restoration: follow the intention of the artist. Never try to improve on him.”
― J.M. Coetzee
When have you committed yourself to someone else’s vision, setting aside your own?
Before and After
It’s fun to see pictures of people or houses or cars before and after they have undergone a makeover. Sometimes it’s hard to see how they could be images of the same person or thing. Restoration is a process of recognizing what was there all along, and bringing it to light.
What have you been able to recognize and bring forward so that others could see it as well?
Punishment
“But to punish and not to restore, that is the greatest of all offences.”
― Alan Paton
When have you chosen to pursue restoration when you were tempted to punish?