Recognising the threads in my life comes with a sense of reflection and renewed awareness. Candidly, I did not expect to see this in the physical threads of what I was wearing. In the afternoon’s fading sunlight, the shadows and insights were in front of me, and Life was talking. I caught myself smiling as the reflective conversation unfolded. It shapes the day that is coming with today’s dawn.
Shared threads in life often hide the ones that make a difference. The reality of the cycle of life playing out in every living creature is shared. The observation of old remains true today: “Humans and animals come to the same end – humans die, animals die. We all breathe the same air. So there’s really no advantage in being human. None. Everything’s smoke.” (Ecclesiastes 3.19). I catch myself as I see the thread that makes me and other human beings different. I am a Divinity’s child and a member of her family. I have been invited to represent Her in my relationships with every living creature.
No one thread in life tells the whole story. As significant as a single thread might be, it is in the weave and pattern that emerges when the threads come together as a story or piece of cloth. I have come to see threads and their value through several different lenses. A thread can point to an inflection point in my life. A combination of threads can form a defining moment. If I want to see and understand my story, I need to step back and see the cloth I have stitched together with the threads of my life over time. I was the tailor and one who pulled the threads together to present my heart and soul to the world.
Threads may be strong, yet life will inevitably tear and break them. Each leaves a scar that becomes a tattoo with a better story. Each forms the tapestry of our life that is uniquely our own. What we do with them is an opportunity that is entirely our own.
