How Intricate Are the Threads of Our Lives

Among the many things I enjoy doing, needlework of all kinds ranks near the top.  Knitting, embroidery, cross-stitch, quilting . . . I could fondle yarn, fabric, and all kinds of threads for days on end.  In fact, once upon a time my husband suggested I change my hobby from "doing needlework" to "collecting supplies to do needlework."  After that, I shopped with reckless abandon.

But that isn't what I want to write about today.  My thoughts wander closer to what I feel as I'm knitting the yarns into blankets or sweaters, or stitching a piece of embroidery, or finishing a quilt.  The threads must be woven together just right to hold the item in just the right way so that it will last a good long time. 

And the threads or yarns must be of the best, the finest quality.  The needlework must be equipped with the highest quality implements -- thimbles, needles, scissors, hoops.  All of these things come together, with the expertise of the worker, to make exquisite items.

In our lives, there are process that are similar to needlework that make a beautiful tapestry if we just pay heed to what we must do and how we must do it.


Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor once said:

 "We don't accomplish anything in this world alone . . . and whatever
happens is the result of the whole tapestry of one's life
and all the weavings of individual threads from one
to another that creates something."

Read more: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/s/sandradayo372198.html#ixzz1nGfhIUmF

As I read Justice O'Connor words, I am reminded of the many threads that have made up my life, many stronger than others, but each one creating some contact, some impact on me as a person for good or bad.  Likewise, I have run as a thread through the lives of others, impacting in some way perhaps that I'll never know or understand.  The underlying theme here is that we are not alone, never are we alone.  We may not realize what threads are creating our tapestry but they are there working silently, quietly fabricating our lives.

Look closely at this tapestry.  Notice the intricate work of the crafts-person's threads.  Imagine your life being interwoven so intricately with the lives of others, such harmony and completeness.  And yet, during the weaving, knots can occur which draw the crafts-person's frustrations out and sometimes create the necessity to rework.  Such is life.

This work is based on a painting of the same name, Tree of Life, created by Gustav Klimt. At this link, you can read more about Klimt's work on this painting and the imagery and religious significance behind it.

Consider for a moment the threads woven through your life, where they came from, and how you might share them with another.  It is through this weaving that we become a significant part of the continuation of God's creation.