The Fabric of Life

Simple threads

Piece by piece

Collected o'er the years

Kindness

And Compassion

And glimpses in the mirror

Words of anger

Words of fear

Often brought the tears

Hope, patience

Strength and Love

Experiences I hold dear

These are the remnants

I call life.

Todays project required strips of construction paper.

Too often I forget how much everything in my life has contributed to the person I am today.  Last night as I was waiting for a visit from the sandman, I reflected on my life.  I thought of things that happened when I was in grade school.  I thought about some of my teachers.  My third grade teacher and I seemed to have a clash of personalities.  I was left handed.  She saw left handedness as a flaw in your makeup.  The three left handed people had to sit by her desk all year.  Why?  So that she could slap our hand with a ruler if we held the pencil wrong.  She also perceived left handedness as a sign of questionable intelligence.  Every left handed student had to take an intelligence test.  When my results came back, she didn't believe what the psychologist said about mine. 

This started a battle between her and I.  I was determined to show her that I was smart.  And although I was probably a determined child before, I feel like this experience increased my level of determination.  That determination and stubborness has carried me through many of life's difficult times.

Because of the feud between us, I went to the school psychologist's office a couple of times a week.  He would give me different puzzles and brain teasers to work on.  Thus my love of puzzles was born.  He encouraged me to celebrate my uniqueness.  He taught me that everyone is different and has a special place in this world.  This experience gave me the courage to be myself even when others don't understand.  It also taught me to appreciate each individual person I meet.

I think we often forget that every word, action and choice contributes to the fabric of our life.  It also contributes to the fabric of the lives around us.  What fabric do I offer today?

Copyright 2011 Ramblings by Dawn.  All rights reserved.