“Although the threads of my life have often seemed knotted, I know, by faith, that on the other side of the embroidery there is a crown.” …Corrie Ten Boom
Have you ever looked at the reverse side of embroidery, needlepoint or tapestry?
When I was younger I did quite a bit of embroidery – you know the 70’s before the bedazzled machine. I embroidered on shirts, on my jeans, as well as a few wall hangings which my mom still proudly displays.
After the kids were born, I took on the task of making needlepoint Christmas stockings. My son’s stocking was done rather quickly – you know how it is with your first born. My daughter’s stocking, well that has become quite the joke in the family – it took me 24 years to finish, but I did it!
Since I worked on those various projects, I can attest to the fact that the back of the piece is a total mess! Hanging threads, or threads going from one side of the piece to the other (you really don't want to thread that needle again!), jumbled up knots, honestly, a real tangled up mess. But while you are working you are not concerned about the backside, that will eventually be covered by fabric or a frame, so you focus on the front of the piece.
But the mess on the reverse is what makes the front work so well. It holds everything together, gives it shape and form – and lots of extra padding! You really have no idea what the finished side looks like when looking at the “working” side of the piece. If you only looked at the back, you may be tempted to throw it in the garbage unless of course you like abstract art.
So how do I equate tapestry to life? Well, life is messy – sometimes really messy. Life has most likely brought you pain, suffering, disappointment as well as joy, happiness and love. Those uneven stitches in life are instrumental in making you who you are today. We often only see the mess, the disappointments, and dreams left unfulfilled – those loose strings hanging on the back. We need to embrace the messy and very random backside – the good and bad choices or circumstances we have experienced in our lives. For no thread of experience – good or bad – is ever wasted.
The directions that our lives have taken may seem random from the back, but when you turn the piece over, you will see the fullness, richness and beauty of the design. You can then glimpse the vibrant colors of the tapestry that was born out of both pain and joy. The dark colors are needed to bring the light, gold and silver colors to glisten in the piece.
Celebrate your life, your victories, your losses, your sadness, your happiness and joy. Love and accept those around you – understanding that they too may only be able to see the backside of their tapestry. You can help them glimpse the beauty that you see in them – the work of art they are becoming.
NOTE: I wrote and published this post yesterday, and feel the need to update it following a conversation with a dear friend. So, yeah right now all I see is the backside of the tapestry. I am frustrated that my life and body have taken a different turn than I expected. Since I have to repeat chemo #3 in the hospital next week, my treatment won't finish until May. I wanted so much to move on, get more involved in my volunteer work and start new chapters in my life, but I feel stuck. If I re-read my post - it looks like the thread is jumping from one part of my tapestry to the other, and in time it will create a spectacular (definition: beautiful in a dramatic and eye-catching way) work of art. I just have to remind myself not to focus on the messiness of the process and keep learning, opening myself up to the lessons that life brings my way.
There is no event by which and through which Life itself is not trying to awaken you to your highest and noblest self...Brad Brown
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