My life is but a weaving between my God and me. I do not choose the colors; He worketh steadily. Oftimes He weaveth sorrow and I in foolish pride forget He sees the upper and I the underside. Not till the loom is silent and the shuttles cease to fly will God unroll the canvas and explain the reasons why. The dark threads are as needful in the skilled weaver's hand as the threads of gold and silver in the pattern He has planned.
My mother crossed stitched this poem and gave it to me at my graduation from graduate school in 1991. As I remember the past year and the life stories I have heard from my clients, I can not help but think about these words and offer them to all of you who have asked the very hard question "why do I have to go through all this pain?"
A number of years ago, I attended a workshop where we were asked to do a guided imagery as the presenter verbally walked us through our lives. She asked us to identify the markers in our lives ~ the change points. At the conclusion of the imagery, we took markers and drew what we had visualized. Every drawing was as unique as the 'artist.'. Some drew road maps with rest stops and detours. Others drew stepping stones while others made simple drawings with twists and turns.
Whatever each of our canvases or drawings may look like, we can recognize the threads and the decisions that became the change points of our lives. When we see them laid out in front of us, we get to decide what value we put on each of the changes points. It is important to reach a point in time when we can look at our stores and understand that, even though our story may not make sense, everyone of those threads or change points was necessary to get us to the point in our life where we now are. To understand the cumulative effect of each and give value to each of them. To finally forgive ourselves and/or others for the hurts, mistakes, injuries, injustices, and pain wrapped up in all those change points. It is important to give ourselves the GIFT OF VALUING OUR LIFE EXPERIENCES `each as a stepping stone necessary in our whole life experience.
I have had the joy of working with so many people who have struggled with their stories, looked at the dark threads, and asked, "why?' and finally been able to unwrap the gift of greater understanding of their lives. Courage, joy, determination, and faith became new stepping stones for them in their journey.
To you all, best wishes for a holiday season wrapped in Love, Peace, and Blessings.
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