It’s easy to define renewal as a seasonal occurrence. We refer to the concept every spring as the flowers reappear and we begin to,catch glimpses of the elk calves hidden in the tall grass. The bins calves cavorting in the meadow also proclaim “Spring!” with every advancing day. Renewal is a much deeper process than the annual show that mother nature presents us with. Spring is just a reminder of true renewal. Spring is getting your hair cut, refreshing your wardrobe, losing just a few pounds.

The park has within it powerful reminders of both the pain and the depth of true renewal. In September 2009 the Arnica fire blazed in the West Thumb area. It left deep scars next to the road and back into the forest.

In 2010 that area looked much as it did just after the fire. In 2011 there were a few sprigs of grass and a touch of color at the edges. This year you see lush, juicy green grass well back into the distance and finally the elk are coming to feast at this banquet table. Prior to the fire there was nothing in the deep forest for them to eat.

The 1988 fires are all around you….we see the impact on a larger scale. In some parts of the park the fire burned so hot that the ground was scorched to a depth of a foot or more…..some of those areas are just now, 24 years later, showing full regrowth.
So, what does all this mean? I think of our schools…they don’t need spring level renewal; many of them need the earth-scorching, 1988, renewal. So many of the things proposed are mere flowers that regrow annually, they do not provide a new feast for our students.
Does the analogy hold for our political climate? Yes, but I need to think about it to expand the metaphor….
What I do know is that retirement has meant long-term renewal for me…and I’m not sure of when my next feast is going to be…but I do know that it will not be a short or easy road