The Tapestry

There was excitement in the air outside the Great Hall that late afternoon. I had watched the people assembling and heard snatches of their urgent conversations. They were all talking about the fact that the Great Tapestry had been hung in the Great Hall today and this afternoon they would finally be able to see this great work of art. As the crowds grew I sensed their anticipation and I knew this was to be a moment that most of them would remember for a lifetime. And then, at that moment, the doors to the Great Hall swung open and all began to rush forward to get their first glimpse. There was noise and hustle and bustle as the crowd began to enter, but then very unexpectedly the noise ceased, and there was silence.
Hung across the front of the Great Hall was the most beautiful and majestic tapestry anyone had ever seen. The last of the afternoon sun was streaming in the windows giving the tapestry a glow that seemed to be almost heavenly. A multitude of scenes were depicted in the tapestry and they were in very fine detail on account of the extra fine threads used in the weaving. And throughout the tapestry golden threads were woven into the fabric and all of the golden lines appeared to emanate from a beautiful sun in the very center. It was the most beautiful thing anyone had ever seen and now it belonged to them.

At first all just stood and gazed at the Great Tapestry but then one by one people went forward and some even reached out their hand to touch and feel. They were drawn at first by the sheer beauty of the tapestry but then they came to the realization that there was something more, a force drawing them closer, a sense of healing for their hurting souls. And as they touched and caressed the Great Tapestry they felt a healing beginning deep within them and a new realization of hope for what they could be again.

It was a beautiful time for the people of the Great Hall as they found healing and solace for their souls. The leaders guided them is seeing the depth and magnificence of the Great Tapestry and shared in the journey.

And then one day many months later as I was passing I heard a great cry from within the Great Hall, a cry that seemed to be torn from the very depth of a person’s soul. As I rushed in to see the origin of such pain and agony I saw that threads from the Great Tapestry had been removed and then sorted and placed in neat piles at the front of the Great Hall. I wondered at how anyone could do such a grievous act against such a beautiful healing work and why the threads were stacked in such neat piles at the front.

That evening on a walk I overheard the leaders talking about how had removed the threads with the explanation that it was time for the people to learn the ‘deep’ things of the Great Tapestry. They must learn how the colors were mixed and the threads dyed, the tensile strength of the threads, and most importantly how the weaver was able to create the beauty and majesty of the tapestry. And the only way to accomplish this necessary task was to take the threads out and examine them in great detail and help the people understand that the real need was to understand the intricacies of the threads and weaving rather than to just see the stories the various scenes depicted.

In the following weeks and months as I sat on the hill overlooking the Great Hall I saw that the light had gone out of the people’s eyes and instead of entering the Great Hall with great expectation and hope they now walked slowly in and sat quietly looking at the many piles of threads neatly stacked at the front and the bare frame of what had once been the Great Tapestry. The drawing force of the Great Tapestry had been removed and the sense of healing for their souls departed with it.

The older ones told stories to their children about how at one time they had actually known the Great Tapestry, how they had seen with their eyes, had looked upon and touched with their hands and these stories created a hunger and thirst in the young ones to once again know and experience a Great Tapestry.

And then one day I passed many of the young ones hurrying away from the Great Hall towards the inner parts of the city. And they were whispering to one another, ‘A Great Tapestry has been found and it is hanging in an abandoned warehouse in the city.’