Life's Tapestry
Today I am grateful for the beautiful picture created this morning when I was out for a run. The sun rays coming though the trees and the early morning fog were spectacular.
I am also grateful for the challenges I have faced in my life. They have taught me the most valuable lessons and shown me what matters most.
Yesterday when I mentioned tapestry, it brought to mind the following poem:
"My life is but a weaving, between my God and me; I do not choose the colors, He worketh steadily. Ofttimes He weaveth sorrow, and I in foolish pride, forget he sees the upper, and I the underside. Not till the loom is silent and shuttles cease to fly, will God unroll the canvas, and explain the reason why.The dark threads are as needful in the skillful weaver's hand, as the threads of gold & silver in the pattern he has planned."
(Benjamin Malachi Franklin, 1882-1965)
I don't recall when I first heard that, but it has always struck me as poignantly true.
A dark thread in my teen years was a growing drinking problem. I hated myself and was not making good choices. This dark thread has led to countless gold and silver threads as I confronted the problem and became a recovering alcoholic. I didn't initially stop drinking on my own, and to this day, I don't recover on my own. I have many sources of support. There is a mountain of gratitude in my life around my alcoholism and recovery. It will be a recurring topic in this blog.
What dark threads in your life ended up bringing beauty to your tapestry?
I am also grateful for the challenges I have faced in my life. They have taught me the most valuable lessons and shown me what matters most.
Yesterday when I mentioned tapestry, it brought to mind the following poem:
"My life is but a weaving, between my God and me; I do not choose the colors, He worketh steadily. Ofttimes He weaveth sorrow, and I in foolish pride, forget he sees the upper, and I the underside. Not till the loom is silent and shuttles cease to fly, will God unroll the canvas, and explain the reason why.The dark threads are as needful in the skillful weaver's hand, as the threads of gold & silver in the pattern he has planned."
(Benjamin Malachi Franklin, 1882-1965)
I don't recall when I first heard that, but it has always struck me as poignantly true.
A dark thread in my teen years was a growing drinking problem. I hated myself and was not making good choices. This dark thread has led to countless gold and silver threads as I confronted the problem and became a recovering alcoholic. I didn't initially stop drinking on my own, and to this day, I don't recover on my own. I have many sources of support. There is a mountain of gratitude in my life around my alcoholism and recovery. It will be a recurring topic in this blog.
What dark threads in your life ended up bringing beauty to your tapestry?
The tapestry quote is very moving. What if you want to see the end before you begin so you know you will be safe? I watched "The frozen Planet" series and I see the seal being attacked by the killer whales making waves to wash him into the sea. Sometimes I feel like that. It helps to remember that In life I don't get an "A" for pretty. The success is in the trying regardless of outcome . I am grateful for another day to learn what I need to learn.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reminder that I am not responsible for the outcome, only the effort I put in. Two things I continually need to learn and work on are patience and acceptance. Luckily, I seem to get lessons every day to help me with those two. :-)
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