Weaving the Divine Thread
As spiritual beings, we are connected to all there is…
To the earth as we listen to the wind rustle in the trees…
To the stars as we imagine them light-years outside our vision…
And to each other as we weave the divine thread among us.
-The Miracle Collectors
I marvel at the ability of young children to immerse themselves in the joy of ordinary moments. My 5- and 3-year-old grandsons helped me pick hydrangeas from the garden recently, after they had reminded me that early morning was when I said they should be cut. They delighted in the process, careful to follow my direction of “gentle” as they laid them in the basket, somewhat less interested in the finished product, three vases filled with colorful blooms. Later in the day, when the occasional visiting goldfinch came swooping in with its bright yellow coat and black markings, 5-year-old Rory ran through the house shouting, “He’s here, I saw him, come look!” Ah, to find in nature the beauty and mystery it deserves, to experience it as if for the first time, every time. And I do believe that nature has a magnetic pull, like flowers in their natural habitat, white butterflies flitting by, bees a buzzing, the light breeze of a summer morning, warm sunlight making its way through the trees – a multi-dimensional experience – as opposed to flowers in a vase. Our planet’s sublime offerings are a universal opportunity for transcendence and can become a shared experience with our fellow humans. In this and many other ways, big and small, we are connected to all living things, and beyond to the universe.
According to scientists, we are especially hard wired for connection to each other and they are not referring to a gadget. A perfect illustration of this happened earlier this summer at a Kroger’s grocery store in Texas where author Shawn Warner was trying to sell his YA novel (Leigh Howard and the Ghosts of Simmons-Pierce Manor). A lifelong dream to be a writer had taken a back seat to a stint in the army, college and graduate school, careers, and family. Now at 58, he was finally trying to make it happen. Since publication seven months prior, he had sold 150 books. This is where Jerrad “Red” Swearengin comes in. At Kroger’s to buy ice cream for a birthday party, he noticed Shawn sitting rather dejectedly behind his table of books and decided to go over and chat with him. He mentioned he did some “TikToking” and wondered if he could take a video of Shawn talking about the book, and then do a book giveaway to his followers. The video went viral with 17.6 million views at last count, and Shawn’s book became an Amazon best seller with thousands of stellar reviews. As Red later said, it just “started out as a nice gesture to somebody, but then everybody rallied, and it was like his success became our success.” And that’s the thing, all of us became part of Shawn’s story through one guy’s decision to stop and say “hey”, kind of like the butterfly effect in nature where, as the analogy goes, one flap of a butterfly’s wings can affect weather on the other side of the world.
I love that the beauty, mystery, and complexity of the natural world can inform our human interactions – the interconnectedness of our universe. Whether you’re appreciating the tree breeze coming in your window, or a summer garden with little ones, or initiating the spark of kind connection with each other, it’s important that we engage in the many opportunities that may come our way. Like Ram Dass says, “We’re all just walking each other home,” weaving a divine thread as we go. (Katie)