Last Sunday evening JK led our meeting in which we paid tribute to Gabriella’s contributions to the Discovery Centre for Spiritual Living. Towards the end JK mentioned that the cover page image was a fractal. He then explained that a fractal is a mathematical formula applied to itself repeatedly, as shown just below.

JK’s mention of fractals caught my interest, as they are an old interest of mine going back many decades and it is not a topic for coffee conversations. But then, I’d forgotten that JK was teacher of Mathematics.

What exactly is a ‘fractal’? Let’s look at a well known example using a simple drawing you can do yourself ….

Sample simlpe fractal. But there is more …

Examples of this self replication can be found in nature. The familiar Spruce tree seedling is an instance of this process in our daily environment.

Remembering JK, as we watch new growth sprouting in the Spring Season.

Its seedling sprouts from the seed to produce a vertical stem with three to five ‘knobs’ in the top. The next season each of these little knobs will branch out one vertical with the rest horizontal, each one replicating the pattern of the first year seedling, possibly producing five branched members. The third year each will produce five more to make twenty five new ones!

So when we see these new growths on our evergreen trees around us, we may remind ourselves of our departed friend and minister JK whose legacy and message so remain with us.

Tony Vander Vliet; posted on www.TonysThoughtShoppe.info