By the time most of you read this, my kid… my one and only… will be 20 years older than I was when he was born!
And, yes, this is a bit of a mind bending framework for me!
My first thought is, blessed be!
Dave is a bright, kind, funny, and deeply decent human being. (And, yes, there’s also the whole Kelly & the girls thing!)
My next thought is, who’d have thought???
If you’ve been reading along for a bit, you may have noticed that the odds, on many levels, weren’t good in the beginning. Today, however, is a day for celebration, and the photo fairy in my phone was in a helpful mood!
Yep… a magnificent web, visible by blessings of light and humidity and timing. And – it’s worth mentioning – by noticing!
I had the gift of some early help noticing webs from my dear Jean… friend, mentor, teacher, and – these days – heart sister. Also, summer camp director/boss and environmentalist extraordinaire!
Of course, I can’t know what the story behind the story was for Jean, when she introduced me to the red thread and the ways we are all connected. I can only know how those experiences as a young teen help me understand my recent encounters with the Legend of the Red Thread.
The legend that says, among other things, that we were all connected, even before we were born, to those who would be important in our lives.
At first I thought it was about puzzling out how spiders, shall we say, were connected to poison ivy.
After Dave came along, I began to realize that it was also about all the amazing people who were either there for us, or who would come into our world, and help us not only survive – which was a huge thing – but to thrive, as well.
So, Charlotte. The one on E.B.White’s mythical farm. One of my early friends. (Pearl is a fan, too!)
Using the marvels available to those of her kind to do good in the world. To send messages of insight and kindness and hope.
Messages like, Some pig.
At the risk of blowing the ending… which I suspect you already know… not all of Charlotte’s messages had the impact she hoped.
And yet, she spun on.
The inspiration – and the courage – to spin on are Dave’s biggest gift to me. A gift I’m doing my best to live into, still.
For this moment, Happy Birthday, dear Dave. And thanks! Mom’s on it…
And, for you, an invitation from Charlotte and Natalie and me… to claim some of your gifts and connections and messages. The world needs all of us spinning hope!
ps… the super-special deal for joining in early won’t last much longer!
