I love this rug - it looks like a child made it as a “sampler” - a way to practice stitches and shapes.  It is made of rough spun wool, the material feels uneven but very strong, and you can still smell the natural dyes that were used. 


    This side of the rug looks like my life often feels - all tangled, ends of strings hanging out here and there, unfinished, nothing neatly tied up, no rhyme or reason to the splotches of color. 

   

    Although there seems to be a potential for pattern, there is no real pattern I can discern from my point of view.  Vibrant - and messy.  This is the side that I see.

    This is the side God sees.

    They were having a special guest that evening, a Peace Pipe carrier.  As she unwrapped her bundle, this woman shared the story of the Pipe, and how it was given to the People as a way of communicating with Great Spirit.  She led us through a Pipe Ceremony, which I found deeply moving. The ceremony seemed to put into practice everything I had studied about the oneness of all things - all things are welcomed into the Pipe. 


    I shared my dream with the Pipe Carrier after the ceremony.  We both knew what it meant.  Pipe carriers are often called in dreams.


    She became my teacher, led me to study with other Pipe Carriers, and eventually I became a Pipe Carrier myself.  My promise was to bring the Pipe where ever I taught, and I have shared the ceremony and the stories where ever asked.  This picture was taken after a ceremony in England. 

    In 1986 I had a dream that seemed quite strange.  I couldn’t figure out what it might mean, although it was one of those very strong dreams that seemed to be trying to tell me something.  I figured I’d have to wait for the meaning to come clear it its own good time.  It didn’t take long. 


    The following week, I made one of those huge errors in my calendar, and showed up for dinner at a friend’s house - complete with a bowl of my famous frosted fruit - a week late.  Being good friends, they invited me in anyway.