"Consider that wonderful world of life in which you are placed, and observe that its great rhythms of birth, growth, death-- all the things that really matter-- are not in your control. That unhurried process will go forward in its stately beauty, little affected by your anxious fuss."
from The House of the Soul and Concerning the Inner Life by Evelyn Underhill
99 Years. 99 Rings.
At the beginning of this year, I found myself reflecting on the lives of those who have come, touched my life, left a mark, and have now passed. Some I never met personally but nonetheless impacted my person in the brevity of their years and the manner of their passing. Some I knew for years, were intimately involved in their lives and them in mine, watched as their health suffered then deteriorated, and was eventually left with only memories of their person instead of the shared daily rhythms of a life lived together.
62 Years. 62 Rings.
To facilitate these reflections, I began stitching a ring for each year of life given each of them. Some ring cycles appeared cut short as if snuffed out before having a chance to realize one's identity or place in the larger sphere of life. Others stood dominant, clear of one's stance and mark made upon the world. Some lives appeared but as a breath; others reverberated out as a long drawn sigh. But whether fully realized or barely sketched, I'm confident of this: the impact they each made by their presence in the lives of those near and dear to them.
25 Years. 25 Rings.
12 Years. 12 Rings.
In this sitting for hours and hours, stitching rings, commemorating years (that, truth be told, often fly by uneventfully and mundanely), I am more aware than ever of the gift in each day. As Evelyn Underhill so eloquently states in the quote above, there is a futility in fuss and worry and there is a fragility in that which we cannot control-- namely, birth, growth, and inevitable death. There is a beauty in life's rhythms and a stately presence in the position in which we are all placed.
So then, there comes the reminder: to not lose the big picture in the distraction of the immediate. She continues, "Find out then where your treasure really is. Discern substance from accident... Don't lose your head over what perishes. Nearly everything does perish: so face the facts, don't rush after the transient and unreal. Maintain your soul in tranquil dependence on God..."
As is clear in the stitched rings of life, a year can indeed be a lifetime so why should I not aim to live as such? Each year with intention and gratitude, aware of grace and beauty, and set on tranquil dependence upon God.
And here is a video sharing my process, and my processing... with love, Erica