Growing or Shrinking... Seen from a Distance, It's Hard to Tell

Source: Hubblesite.org

If one looks at this picture without reading the caption, one might conclude that the two lines are coming together on a collision course. Perhaps these are two comets the paths of which are about to intersect spectacularly. Then one reads the description, and finds out the thin tips of the lines are the furthest edge of debris moving outward from the explosion of a dwarf star.

How are we seen in life? Who will take the time to read our caption? Can the life of anyone be understood with any accuracy when seen from a distance? How do we write the captions to explain the snapshot that people see? Do we bespeak ourselves, or do we wait for others to be our witness?

Patchwork Patterns

When I was young...er, I pursued my dreams in an attempt to complete some pattern I envisioned for my life. My dream was not cohesive and lacked defined edges, milestones and compass points. My pattern appeared to me in patches, and remnants like the fabric for quilts that women search for in thrift stores and yard sales. Yes, the building of my life has taken the form of a quilt pattern. The individual pieces have been sewn; some are very nicely crafted while others can barely be recognized as man made. They have yet to be attached one to another, pinned to the batten and the final product presented in its classic form.

One of my favorite plays was a little locally produced piece titled "Quilters." "Quilters" was, is an historical play composed of several short stories based loosely on real accounts of women who pioneered on the prairis of North America in the eighteen hundreds. The stories are all based on the different classic quilt patterns that emerged from that time period: the Wedding Rings, the Lone Star, the Butterfly and several others.

I haven't found my pattern yet, but I certainly have compiled a wide variety of individual pieces. How then do I decide into what pattern will they be assembled? Does it matter? Can a pattern be found in the random stitching together of each piece?