The Weaver Woman

My mother-in-law is a Christian in every sense of the word. I spent a lot of time with her after my father-in-law died to keep her company and I unexpetectedly learned quite a bit of the faith she holds dear. She and my mother are completely different personalities. My mother-in-law is a conservative, old fashion, traditional, play by the rules kind of woman, while my mother is an open minded liberal, modern, make the rules as you go kinda gal. So spending time with my mother-in-law was a bit of a culture shock for me to say the least. My mother has a love for crafting, in fact we come from a long line of quilters, sewers, cross-stitchers, weavers ect., you could say it is a way of life for my family, just as religion is a way of life for my mother-in-law. My mother as an expression of grief and faith started weaving beautiful baskets after the loss of her son. I began to make a connection between my mother working through her grief by turning to what brings her joy and comfort, craft, to my mother-in-law leaning on her faith during her grieving process. Both of these processes were deeply personal and "right" for that individual. My short "The Weaver Woman" was inspired by these two very different women and their very similiar experience. Enjoy.

The Weaver Woman

         The weaver woman spreads out her materials onto her work table and ponders the basket she is to weave.  God looks onto his creation and contemplates the man in which he is to make.  What kind of basket will she create?  What form will her basket be molded into?  A bread basket or fruit basket that will hold goodies for friends?  Perhaps a decorative basket or a gift basket that will bring delight to its owner.   As the weaver woman chooses which basket she will make so too does God consider the purpose for his creation.  Will he be kind and gentle, happy or sad, content and obedient?  Will he be a care taker, a service man, a laborer, or a professional?  The weaver woman decides on a bread basket.  She chooses her materials, just the right reed in which to work, flexible enough to bend and mold yet sturdy enough to hold its contents.  She also chooses her tools, shears in which to cut her length, needle nose pliers to help pull the reed through the simple yet detailed process of weaving, and cloths pins to hold the shape as she creates her basket.  God knows exactly what he wants his design to be, a sculpture in his own image. He chooses his material in which to work, clay, flexible enough to bend and mold the man yet sturdy enough to hold his contents and breath in which to give the man life.  His tools consist of only his word.  As the weaver woman meditates on the intricacies of her design she becomes excited as she anticipates the outcome of her labor, so too does God meditate on his design, counting every hair on the createds’ head, and becomes excited about his labor.  The weaver woman finishes, steps back, and looks upon the bread basket.  It is beautiful but has imperfections.  The weaver woman decides to use a walnut brown stain to cover the imperfections.  After the staining process she looks on what she has made and it is very good. God finishes his man and steps back to look at him.  The man is beautiful but has imperfections.  God chooses a crimson stain in which to cover the imperfections.  After the staining process is complete God looks upon his creation and it is very good.

           





Welcome to My Journey

For some time now I have struggled with what is considered to be "spiritual growth."  I have contemplated, read, discussed, dissected, and emotionally drained myself trying to find peace and balance within the mazes of my human soul. I lean towards Christian tendencies but most Christians, or at least the ones I have come across, tend to have an all or nothing attitude towards religion which I find to be rather annoying. I love what I have learned from them and I have found truth, a lot of truth, within the pages of the Bible, but I really don't feel (nor do I believe it was ever the intention of Jesus) that it is necessary to abandon all intelligent thought and rational thinking in order to follow this spiritual path.  I really had a VERY difficult time with some of the Christian teachings on getting to Heaven, sexuality, and literal interpretation. I also found some of the more bizarre fundamentalist teachings such as the rapture, dinosaurs walked with people, and you can only be a Christian if you’re a Republican to be rather hard to swallow. So my emotional battle began. I loved the teachings of the Bible and the study of the beautiful life of Jesus and his Disciples but started to really dislike and even fear Christians. I started to see them as heartless, hateful enemies instead of loving brothers and sisters in Christ. I began to feel as though my liberal heart had no place within the Christian community. My life experiences and not to mention my "gut" feeling (which I believe was God given, but that's for another day) have lead me to believe that it is not necessary to have an emotional battle with myself in order to find that connection with God.  God made me this way and God never intended for me to have an emotional struggle in order to have a relationship with his spirit.  God intends on loving me and spreading his love through me as I am. I invite you on this spiritual journey and encourage you to find the courage to follow your heart and stand up for your beliefs and be confident that if it’s good, it’s God. I ask that you respect my journey and not bombard me with scriptures that tell me how wrong I am and I ask that you be open to the experience.