Words Paint Profound Pictures

What is a story without an audience? The lessons it may teach will go untaught. The connections it may elicit will remain disconnected. The worthiness of its cause will go unnoticed. The vulnerable will be exploited. The voiceless will remain silent.

World Pulse offers a platform to extend my reach and share stories deserving of a broader audience. I've yearned to be embraced by a community such as this in which my voice can be heard. In the company of like-minded feminine spirits, I may expose my deepest longings for both myself and my community - from grassroots to global. By weaving a net of embrace, we can relate to each other even if we never meet face-to-face.

I believe that one should never impose on a community, rather contribute to it. And so, here's a taste of the story that has unexpectedly illuminated my path and enriched my life in ineffable ways.

In a small storage room for chairs at a church in Soweto, teen girls embroidered messages onto strips of fabric sharing their lives, loves, pains, challenges, discoveries and dreams. These scarves were gifted to girls in other African countries, weaving yarns of the makers, receivers and connectors. The story adventurously travelled through its retelling.

A cohesive group was moulded in that tiny room. Girls entered with hurt so deep it erased them from the inside. Together, we cradled our wounded places until we felt whole again reveling in being splendidly imperfect and succulently rare.

My hope is that this will be a never-ending story, one without a chapter that says, 'The End'. It will be a narrative cherished for lifetimes long after these girls have grown into mothers themselves - all because of the lessons it has taught them.

These young women of Story Scarves are the voices of our future. I have found my younger sisters and they have found me. Kin by choice and heart.

No matter the medium - the written word, the painted canvas or the artistry in fibre - I am whole heartedly compelled to weave meaningful yarns that are soulfully sewn.

POEM

This poem by Lao Tzau profoundly resonates with me and I'm sure it will resonate with you too.

Go to the people, Live with them, Love them, Learn from them, Work with them, Start with what they have, Build on what they know, And in the end, When the work is done, The people will rejoice: “We have done it ourselves.”

- Lao Tzau, Father of Taoism, Tao Te Ching