My 1st, 2nd, and 3rd First Red Thread Circles…

Yep! You read that right!

The year I finished 6th grade, I went to summer camp for the first time. What a lot of learning and growing there was in that week!

Insert your camp memories here…

One of the biggest things from that week has gotten even bigger in my universe over the last four years!

Jean was our Camp Director. It was Florida, in the mid-summer we thought of as hot as blazes, back in the day. I had shoulder length hair and a bad case of poison ivy. Every morning, I went to the office and Jean French braided my hair so I would be closer to comfortable.

I was beyond grateful! That wasn’t the big learning, though.

One day, our counselor announced it was time for something new. She led us to one of those open-air pavilions with a floor and a roof. (Less chance of fire ant bites!)

Jean appeared with a mysterious box and asked us all to sit in a big circle. Curious, we did.

Then, each camper received an index card with emphatic directions not to trade. Curiouser and curiouser!

The next thing to appear from the box was an enormous ball of red yarn. Like the size of a basket ball!

Jean joined the circle and, holding the end, tossed the ball of yarn across the circle. That camper held the yarn and tossed it across to another camper.

Back and forth the red yarn went until we had, essentially, woven a huge red thread spider web.

Then came the challenge. Each (very) young woman was asked to name the connection between the element of the local Long-leaf Pine and Turkey Oak eco-community in which we were camped to the element held by the camper at the other end of her piece of the red thread.

How does the ant depend on the pine tree?

How does the rain depend on the rattle snake? (Florida, remember!)

How does the gopher tortoise depend on the poison ivy?

Well, you get it…

From that day to this, I have never looked at the world the same way. My first Red Thread Circle, though I didn’t know it then!

Camp is like that.

Then, just exactly 4 years ago, I made my first Intentional Creativity® pilgrimage and I learned about a different, but oddly same, notion of Red Thread Circles.

We all hold the circle, but each of us are responsible for only our piece. (Which works way better when everybody understands!)

Creativity is like that.

And then, not even a year later, I led my first Red Thread Circle. I had just begun my Color of Woman training. It was one of our first challenges. And my kids were here for Spring Break!

I invited Kelly and the girls to wander around the house and bring something they felt was beautiful to our circle. We sat around the kitchen table and shared.

The girls both brought their stuffed owls, Sophia and Hoot-Hoot, who live at our house. (Most of the time!)

Kelly appeared toting my 36×48″ first Legend painting, She Follows Her Heart, right off the wall!

I explained a bit about the Red Thread Legend and we passed it around. Grammy, the former OR nurse, was designated to tie knots!

Then, the girls blew my mind by explaining that they’d recently been guests at a Vietnamese wedding that included a Red Thread Circle!

Being a Grammy is like that.

And, now, in an amazing way, all of that feels like, if you’ll pardon the pun, it’s coming full circle. It’s time for Grammy Camp!

Four weeks of virtual community, creativity, Red Thread, and lots of powerful ways to be true allies for our kids going forward in the world where we are. And NO fire ants or rattle snakes!!! There will be lots more info coming. (Don’t hate my brilliant side-kick, Hobby Parent, and me for the mail… this is the work of our souls and we believe!)

For now, even if you think you’re not quite ready to decide, CLICK HERE to be magically transported to the answers for many of your questions so you can ponder. And, if you want to be with us… Grandmother-Elder-Teacher-Very Brave Grandfather… you’re invited and welcome!

ps… the Critic and the Muse have already signed up!