# Branching Paths

## A Single Starting Point

Life often begins in one place, like a seed pushing through soil. We carry our early experiences as a sturdy trunk—family, first lessons, quiet dreams. These form the core from which everything else grows. No branch strays far without this anchor. In my own days, I've seen how holding to that base lets us stretch without breaking.

## The Grace of Diverging

Then come the branches. They split and twist toward light, each one a quiet choice: a new job, a kind word to a stranger, a walk down an unplanned street. Branching isn't chaos; it's nature's way of exploring. A tree doesn't regret its many arms reaching different ways. They catch sun, shelter birds, sway in wind. So too with us—our paths multiply, creating space for surprises, connections we never planned.

Some branches:

- Thicken with time, bearing fruit.
- Bend low, offering shade to others.
- Reach high, touching unexpected skies.

## Unity in the Spread

Yet all branches trace back. In winter, stripped bare, the tree reveals its wholeness. Our lives do the same. Divergent roads loop through shared moments—laughter with old friends, a familiar horizon. Branching teaches patience: not every limb thrives, but the whole endures.

*On this winter day in 2026, may your branches find gentle light.*