Tapestry of Life

Every choice we make, word we say and action we take stitches the tapestry of our lives. 🩷

I started blogging nearly fifteen years ago, and WordPress was my chosen home. Everything was great, and I made loving connections that still flow, and I am grateful. I was going to explain the technical issues with WordPress, and have just deleted that paragraph. No one needs that level of detail! As my site grew, it crashed often, so I spun off to try different platforms. What followed is seven years of fun…..or not!

I tried hosting my website independently using various website builders, like WIX and Squarespace, different platforms like Ghost and all the different social media platforms available to share my writing. The result was many hours expended, with money spent exploring various rabbit holes, and I came to question what was useful in all I had learnt.

So, I followed my heart and came to rest on Substack, in the company of fellow writers. In the beginning, I twisted down a path of having my writing freely available, and my audio posts behind a paywall, along with my eBooks. This made it difficult for my loyal followers to comment and join in any conversations, so I stripped the paywall out last week.

In the few days it took to settle, I was receiving messages that it was still difficult to leave a comment, so I turned to my loving sounding board and asked the question,

‘Do I need to change my website again?’

As I said the words, my heart froze, so I guessed not, and Tim agreed with me. There is a layer of verification on Substack before you can leave a comment, which places protection for us all who use it. Tim rightly pointed out that all systems are like this now.

It is time to draw a line and stay here. All will settle and find its rhythm.

This week has held a few unexpected twists and turns, and I intended my post to be much longer. So, I will close with these heartfelt and beautiful words, written by Pope Francis in the hospital during his last days.

The walls of hospitals have heard more honest prayers than churches.

They have witnessed far more sincere kisses than those in airports.

It is in hospitals that you see a homophobe being saved by a gay doctor.

A privileged doctor saving the life of a beggar.

In intensive care, you see a Jew taking care of a racist.

A police officer and a prisoner in the same room receiving the same care.

A wealthy patient waiting for a liver transplant, ready to receive the organ from a poor donor.

It is in these moments, when the hospital touches the wounds of people, that different worlds intersect according to a divine design.

And in this communion of destinies, we realise that alone, we are nothing.

The absolute truth of people, most of the time, only reveals itself in moments of pain or in the real threat of an irreversible loss.

A hospital is a place where human beings remove their masks and show themselves as they truly are, in their purest essence.

This life will pass quickly, so do not waste it fighting with people.

Do not criticise your body too much.

Do not complain excessively.

Do not lose sleep over bills.

Make sure to hug your loved ones.

Do not worry too much about keeping the house spotless.

Material goods must be earned by each person - do not dedicate yourself to accumulating an inheritance.

You are waiting for too much: Christmas, Friday, next year, when you have money, when love arrives, when everything is perfect.

Listen, perfection does not exist.

A human being cannot attain it because we are simply not made to be fulfilled here.

Here, we are given an opportunity to learn.

So, make the most of this trial of life - and do it now.

Respect yourself, respect others. Walk your own path, and let go of the path others have chosen for you.

Respect: do not comment, do not judge, do not interfere.

Love more, forgive more, embrace more, live more intensely!

And leave the rest in the hands of the Creator.

~ Pope Francis

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