We are the Weavers

Have you ever wondered how things are made or how they work?  Like many children, I was one who focused on the "why"... like, why did lights turn on when plugged in.  To experiment, one time I stuck a metal object into a socket and got quite a shock!  Another time I took the thermometer and placed it near the bathroom heater to watch the mercury rise.  (Mom, in another room, was used to asking, "What are you doing in there?" and I would yell back "Nothing!")

I flourished when I could explore and be creative -- putting together model cars and ships; using balsa wood to make planes that would fly; creating a homemade kite and figuring out the best designs; interweaving different colored string into intricate macrame designs.

Later in life, my grandmother passed along her crochet skills.  Oftentimes, I begin with a pattern so I can understand how it works, and then I let loose and create my own designs.

Do you notice what happens behind the scenes?
(Photo: Local Weaver, La Paz, Baja California Sur -
Larry Gardepie, 2021)

I guess it is no surprise where my career path has taken me:  teaching, ministry, human resources, project and change management, and software design.  I am intrigued by the sciences of process and design and the art of understanding.  I love to troubleshoot -- not necessarily to find solutions, but to be engaged in ways that support and find meaning.

What patterns do you see in your relationships?
(Photo: Rock Wall, Tintagel Village, Cornwall, England -
Larry Gardepie, 2017)

I came across a British drama series recently, "Call the Midwife."  Such a caring and wise display of human life:  women and men working for the good of others.  At the beginning of each show, the voice of a wizened Sister-Nurse poetically offers a view of human interaction that sets the theme for the show.  At the end of the show, the same voice pulls together the lessons the story offered.

One episode ended with the observation that "We are the weavers of each other's cloth."  What a beautiful way of describing our interconnectedness!

Where is life holy?
(Photo: Stained Glass Window of Local Workers -
St. Magnus' Church, Lerwick, Shetland Islands - Larry Gardepie 2011)

Part of my "travel bug" is the desire to experience, connect, and understand.  Watching a weaver work in England, I wanted to see what the tapestry looked from behind (what is hidden) as well as the front (what is seen).  Coming across a rock wall in Cornwall, I was intrigued by the strength and the fragile natures of how the stones were arranged: no mortar or cement to hold it together, just the weight of what was before and after.  Being drawn to the beautiful colors of stained-glass windows in the Shetlands, I realized that the images were of the local workers that make daily life holy.

Can you see connections that support?
(Photo: Ceiling of Bath Abbey, Bath, England -
Larry Gardepie, 2011)

And, standing below the vaulted ceiling of the Abbey Church in Bath, England, I took in the intricate design that rose 75 feet above us.  To think that builders began construction in 1499 knowing they would not see their dreams come true!

Questions for this week:

• What patterns do I weave into other people's lives:  kindness, caring, and love or fear, frustration, and anger?
• When do I feel interconnected with others?
• Am I interested in knowing what is hidden... and why?

 May we take seriously the Holy Weaving in each other's cloth!

Larry Gardepie

Dialogue San Diego Consulting

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