by Kathy Ruff
I recall when I was young, my mother would sew our clothes. She didn’t just repair ripped seams, she actually created new clothes from scratch — a rarity in today’s world.
I remember the Simplicity patterns that came in paper packaging. She took a box of pins and the flimsy outlines of the individual pieces and attached the outlines to the material. Once pinned, she took the scissors, cut the material and sewed the pieces of the pattern together to create her masterpiece. She made it seem easy, but I know from first-hand experience, that’s not the case. It was a special gift she shared.
Living a spiritual life is like that. We take the patterns of living — kindness, compassion, awareness, love — and put them all together to create our own masterpiece. We share our special gifts and attach the pieces of our patterns onto the canvas of our lives.
Unlike the blooms of this white rhododendron that seem to create beauty effortlessly, we need to put thought, planning and action into creating the life we choose. If we’re open and aware, we use the spiritual patterns we learn, perceive and discern over the years, to make a better life for ourselves and others. Those lifetime patterns complement the beauty, joy and fulfillment that surrounds us each day.
This is a great analogy for learning life experience (the negative & positive) and putting them to good use to make yourself a better person.