If there are threads that connect us, we have to understand which of them have the strength to endure. Otherwise, we will not be certain that the fabric of our lives can hold. But how can we test these strings of connection? So many are ephemoral. But those just might be the strongest if tested.
Wisps of conversation, whispers of encouragement, a flower full of scent yet the petals falling -- offerings of comfort, offerings of hope -- these matter. These are real.
There are ropes that bind us, also. And though sturdy, they may not be what keeps us safe from harm. They can bind us in ways that keep us from growing, that keep us stagnant. They can hold us down when the wind or the current would have us rise, would have us float. They seem to be real, but these restraints can be broken. The task is not always easy, but it is not always impossible. Effort of will, concentration of mind, commitment of heart will prevail.
The web of a spider has great strength, but it must bend and flow with the wind, and allow the rain to wash over it. It catches what it needs -- and sometimes what is unnecessary -- but it provides sustenance for its weaver. And the weaver will not be frustrated by the broken web -- it will spin and design over and over again.
The connections that keep us also allow us to move and grow. They do not bind, but they can catch us if we fall. We must pay attention, and we must shower these threads with light and blessings.
In this season of my life I am held by those who have passed beyond this physical world, but have left behind the nets that catch, calm and bounce me on. And I am aware of many who are making that last great adventure, who wonder if they have left what matters or what will sustain or encourage.
I do believe that all of it counts. Even and maybe especially the ropes that have bound, or have not held. It all matters. It is all of great and worthy matter, because in the living we learn the design that works for us, that holds us, and that makes us who we are meant to be.
We can rise, we can float, and we can leave what bound us and not despise it. We can celebrate the consciousness our bondage unleashed, and we can be glad that we are free.
