We still lived in St. Louis when I met Charlotte and her web. (Translation… somewhere between what should have been Kindergarten, if there’d been one, and 3rd grade.)
My Mom must have read the book aloud to my sister and me. We did a lot of that!
And, of course, I cried when Wilbur died, despite all Charlotte’s inspired weaving.
Some pig! is, of course, my favorite message. And I remember wondering what it would be like to have somebody say something that enthusiastic about me.
A couple of years ago, more contemporary portraits of Charlotte began appearing in my paintings because (duh!) I was making new steps into the land of sharing what I knew. What I believed.
That’s Charlotte, in the top corner of my Medicine Basket painting!
And, just recently, I’ve been thinking about quilting. The scrappy kind where bits of this and glimpses of that make things that weren’t, before.
Weaving is another way to think about it.
Tiny threads coming together to make things we can see and touch, grown out of learning and experimenting with ancient ways in our times.
There’s been a lot of quilting and weaving going on inside me lately.
Tiny bits of this or that from long ago which didn’t seem like much until they bumped into new bits in this moment.
And some of that newness is beginning to take form in the world around me.
Conversations with a couple of clients this week have been transformed into new insights in the land they’re learning to call Filters.
And, those conversations and insights have also transformed me.
So much so, that I am intentionally taking new steps into the big world with the things that are being woven together in and around me.
One of those things has to do with weddings. As in helping other people hoping to get married in this world, now. There’s more of this to come, but, if you can’t stand the suspense – or know someone who could use some help – click VeryLargeHope.com (And then come back here!)
Another of those things has to do with what I imagined as the book hatching inside me.
It’s been there for a while, though it has recently reached the hopping up & down/keeping me awake stage.
And, that book-in-utero has decided that it actually wants to be a lot like a Red Thread Circle with pages and a cover. (This is exciting, indeed!)
Which kind of brings us back to the whole Filter thing. It’s been a helpful model in my world for years, thanks to a guy named Bill Harris who first introduced me to it.
It has also changed over time, as models have been known to do.
Then, suddenly, that model claimed its place in my Medicine Basket as the winner of the if I only had one tool prize.
So, if you’ve pondered Filters with me before – or if you haven’t yet – let’s do this thing! Here’s how to sign up:
Charlotte says it’s going to take a lot of us, along the thread, to stay on the road!
For now, though, it’s time to be brave!
Brave enough to claim something we long for. That place where our deep passion and the world’s deep hunger meet (F. Buechner). A thing? An action? A journey? An if only I…
You’re right! It isn’t easy.
It IS a whole lot better than letting fear, or the way we’ve always done it, hold you back. Keep you from dreaming.
And you don’t have to do it alone! Just scroll back up a little bit and click the big “I’m ready!” link. I’ve been there before and I’m glad to go along with you.
ps… in case you might long for a few new tools along the way… from t-shirts to mugs to major inspiration for your walls, come wander through FierceArtWithHeart! The elves have been busy and would be thrilled to help you pack your Medicine Basket!