One of the things I love about quilting is you can take one piece of fabric out and replace it with another and the entire piece changes. It’s the same with people, when we change the mix we get another kind of harmony. Often the difficult part is finding a place to fit in, finding your people.
I just completed my first course toward my Doctor of Ministry degree and had some amazing revelations. On our first day the facilitator of our process group asked what we hoped for during our time at the school. My answer was I hoped for integration. I wanted to find a way to get the new car smell off of me in the school arena.
What happened next was inspiring and heart warming. Each member of the group who has been at the school for a time blessed those of us who were taking our first class. They opened their arms wide and made us feel a part of something magical, beautiful and inclusive.
Often we walk the world looking for a place to fit in. We look for those who have similar interests and for a time, for me anyway, that holds a place for the greater community I’m searching for on my journey. When we completed process group on the first day I’d never have guessed that I could feel like I’ve belonged to this group for an eternity. There were no division, no separations, no hierarchy. All that remained was a beautiful human quilt and with me included it looked different than any class that had transpired before my arrival.
Pilgrim Pathway/Surviving Strong 