A Chinese proverb tells us “an invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but it will never break.”
Sometimes people show up as precious in my life with intense and instant clarity. It has been true with friends, lovers, animals, and even one profoundly powerful time with an extraordinary and horribly parented teenager who came to refer to me as “Momma D.” These relationships resonate at a soul level, and they are forever. They continue, even when the person on the other end of the red thread is far away in distance, thought or time.
It seems that I am living through a time of shortening threads. Significant relationships have been showing themselves again, after long absences. There is always a learning involved, an evolution of sorts. It is not always graceful, and sometimes I lose my balance for a time, but it is always meaningful, informative, and worthwhile.
A decades-ago friend bubbled up recently from the depths of my past. He came bearing a long held apology for his part in the pain of our history. I thought I had long since healed that part of my heart, and it had seemed to me that the thread between us had lived out its destiny. Now, I am not so sure...
This reintroduction has been a cleansing, a detox of my heart, and an unexpected opportunity to see, with new clarity, what actually happened long ago. I don’t know for how long we will nurture this rekindled friendship, but it feels important right now – like it has more to teach me about myself, before the thread once again stretches into the distance...
Who is on the other end of your red threads? Are you attached to mine?
Listen to my song from Bright Side Up called “It’s Hard to Say Goodbye,” written long ago after that relationship “ended.” I just added it to my streaming tracks!