A definite highlight of this past year, and likely my lifetime, was my Tapestry Party. (See my September 9, 2011 entry)
It is an idea I envisioned, mulled over, dreamed about and finally after almost five years, had the courage to implement.
Over the years, as I journeyed and explored my story, I began to realize that my life was a tapestry of many different threads. I began to recognize that the threads of dirty colors and rough textures were not my favorite and I didn’t care much for them. But they were woven in and I could not deny their presence.
I began the process of embracing instead of denying those threads and I began to explore stories that came out of those darker times. I began to search out answers to hard questions and found that there were threads of hope and brightness that ran along side of these darker threads. The threads of hope and brightness included faces of people who have been weavers in my tapestry.
As a gift for my Tapestry Party, I was gifted a beautiful wall hanging with the words from The Loom of Time:
The dark threads were as needful
In the weaver’s skillful hand
As the threads of gold and silver
For the pattern which He planned.
Author unknown
During my journey of discovery, I grew in love and admiration of my tapestry (life).
And as I grew in love and admiration of my tapestry, I had a greater understanding of myself, my family, my friends, my community and my God.
In my 20’s I was running from the design and threads of my story…
In my 30’s I was sorting, sifting, grieving, and trying to make sense of all my tapestry held….
In my 40’s, I am enjoying the beauty of my tapestry. I am thankful for all the threads, even if they were painfully woven into the design. I am thankful for where I am today. I have deeply enjoyed being 40 and 41 and am eager to see what each day of 42 holds. I believe that my tapestry is still on the loom and there will be more threads that represent pain and sorrow, heartache and grief, of that I am sure. But I am as sure that surrounding those threads, will be the threads of hope and embrace, offered to me by my family, friends, community and God!
And so each day, I commit to embracing my story, seeing the beauty in the threads that comprise my tapestry and curious about what threads will be woven with each day or season of my life!
I wonder how you have done at looking that the threads in your beautiful tapestry design. I invite you to take some time and find a comfortable seat and look closely at the colors, design and stories that create your tapestry….I have found it to be a very valuable journey with much to marvel at and celebrate!
Trish – Somehow I missed the whole Tapestry party thing. I just went back to re-read your posts about it all. What a marvelous and wonderful thing! I love your thoughts about a tapestry and the things woven into our lives. It invites me to think about a lot of my darker strands and how they are being woven into things of beauty. You are one amazing lady Trish. (o: