The Threads That Connect Us

Life is messy. There are beautiful, take your breath away moments that collide with the gut wrenching pain of disappointment. One is not without the other. Perhaps the stark contrast gives us the ability to appreciate the beauty, giving us a reason to give thanks for those moments of light in a dark world. 

Maybe it’s to enrich our compassion, because we have known or seen pain – perhaps there is no reason at all. And it’s just life. The way it weaves us together, connected by seemingly insignificant threads, creating a beautiful tapestry full of strength. Small but strong threads tying us all together.

I know people like the good news. The light – the happy. It’s why shows like Ellen get so many more views than a documentary on child slavery. Perhaps we are so overwhelmed with our own pain and worry – it is just too much to take on someone else’s. But it makes we wonder if we are losing our honesty – our genuine truth. We are so busy running and trying to keep our heads above the water – we have truly forgotten how much we love to swim.

So I will be honest. Life is beautiful. I am reminded of that when I drive till I run out of pavement and find a place so wide open I can finally breathe. I am reminded of that, by the fact that my God is so faithful, even when I’m not – and that I have a love I do not deserve. I am reminded every time I find a dime (another story) – and know that heaven has not forgotten me. 

I am also reminded that life is HARD. I see beautiful people suffer so much. Physically, emotionally.  Sometimes it feels like the moment you stand up – you get knocked down. And so with all the hard things – I don’t understand and I honestly don’t know how to put one more foot in front of the other. I’m tired. Physically, emotionally, mentally – and I keep asking “why”. But in those moments I have realized, people don’t have the answers. There isn’t always a “reason” – at least not that I will ever see on this earth – and I guess it’s OK. Because life is a journey and I may not be at my final destination – so I don’t have the answers – I think understanding would take away the magic, the mystery of this life.

It’s not without pain, or struggle, or fighting – it it’s also not without the beautiful strength of spirit, the silent moments of calm, and the small, but powerful threads that connect us. 

Because at the end of the day we are all fighting the same battles – different faces and different stages – and some of us more honestly than others. But I guess we are all human. And we live in the same beautiful, tragic, broken, breathtaking and wonderful world.