Sitting in the shade of a small fruit tree, there sits an elderly woman knitting. She has spent all her life learning how to weave blankets, clothing and ornamental cloth. She is revered among her tribe as the finest and most experienced weaver of the group.

Her grandson, a boy for six, watches what she does with great interest. She is nearing the end of a large blanket, in which is woven an image of the earth, the sun, and the moon. As she continues weaving, the boy notices something; there are a few dropped threads and loose spots in the cloth. One is right in the middle of the image of the earth!

He looks at his grandmother with great concern and says "Abuelita, I know that you are very good at weaving, but did you not see the mistakes you made in the cloth? You have spent so much time on this blanket, why did you not fix your mistakes?"

The grandmother looked at her grandson and smiled. "Just like this blanket, life does not give you the opportunity to correct past mistakes. Each dropped thread is a reminder of my humanity. This blanket is important not because I could sell it or give it as a gift; it is important because it is a sign of my progress and my ignorance."

John J Reiser
newrisedesigns.com