WEAVING LIFE’S DECISIONS

WEAVING LIFE’S DECISIONS

 

 

Words dance off the keyboard as the writer ismesmerized  by the sounds of the Mississippi Delta.Lyrics replete  with the guttural pain of struggle, survival,and life’s ongoing tensions.This music is timeless, ageless, enveloped in a culture of plantation horrors which are only now appreciated by most everyone. The music is a gripping symphony of the struggle for human survival.

 Searching for individual peace and universal calm across time and cultures, the Blues provide an oral history of this journey common among the indentured servants of then and now.For many, today we have the free will to plan our future.Our individual journey into the future is guided by the decisions we make, one after the other. Today’s options are intertwined and dependent upon past choices.

 Life’s choices are woven together much as the artistry displayed in a tribal Isfahan carpet. Success is derived by  following the proven loom and hand design patterns which guide  the construction of the intricacies of this masterful art work. The basis for the woolen wall hanging unravels only when inferior techniques are used. The inner core weakens causing he deteriorated tapestry’s shards to gradually fall to the museum  floor. So it is with life.  Our cultures and values guide us in the decades long completion of our personal tapestry. Each of us, in the image of God, is a work of art.  We attempt to avoid a thoughtless change in our life’s journey which could unravel all that we have woven and accomplished.

Similarly, we have the power to form new life patterns while redefining ourselves.  It is possible to disregard, or at the least to modify the designs of how we have made decisions.  The roots of our comfort/discomfort, and sense of personal peace/disruption ultimately reside within us.  Unlike the helpless plantation slaves of pre- Civil war times, we have the freedom to choose many aspects of our personal journey. 

With freedom comes the twin joys of responsibility and accountability! These are two powerful, essential elements of FREE choice. Consciously deciding to be responsible and accountable for our actions enables us to weave a life of peace and calm. We choose to live up to the axiom   “we reap what we sow”.  Using our faith, much as a weaver follows a tribal tapestry pattern, we are provided with a road map for life to help us make decisions consistent with the model set by the Good Shepherd.

WE CAN CHANGE DIRECTIONS –IF WE SO CHOOSE

Words leaping off the keyboard: mesmerized

by Delta Blues.

Lyrics filled with the gutteral stories of struggle,

Survival and life’s tensions:

Timeless, ageless, wrapped in a culture of plantation

Experiences : understood by some, appreciated by all.

A musical collage of life’s stories.

A palette of sounds for life’s seekers…whomever you may be.

The search for individual peace and calm is

universal across time, space, and geography. The Blues

provide a reflective voice when the noise of life is

a cacophony of directionless sound.

The  trek becomes more urgent as the

hour hands on the West Minister clock inexorably

travels its 360 degree journey each and every day.

Days pass, years accumulate.  The grim reaper awaits.

Scythe in hand: Eyes at the ready.

An individual journey whose map into the future is

guided by our own inner GPS … going where?

Twists and turns are as buffet offerings slapped on a platter?

No, options are deeply rooted in our choices of yesterday,

of yesteryear.  The fabric of our choices are sewn together

as in a handmade Amish stocking carpet:  each decision adding to

the fabric’s strength, color, and size.  To undo any of the intricate

panels is to disrupt the quilt’s essence – and thus tear our

past asunder .

Our inner psyche becomes unrecognizable.

The nimble fingers of the skilled artisan attaches one stocking to

another – using artistic magic to create their own masterpiece.

Each stitch an individual choice: decision.

And so it is as we wend our way through life’s  daily opportunities:

 We are responsible for each step we take: decision we choose.

Like the maestro composing the blues: the seamstress creating

a masterpiece..  our decisions are influenced by those who have

gone before.

The quiet interludes we choose to have : or ignore with our God

follow the West Minister time piece as we evolve into our full being.

Like the clock, we can rewind, reset, and recalibrate who we are and

what we believe … when and if we choose to do so.