Kathy Pride - author; Tapestry Ministries

The concept for Tapestry Ministries was born from what I see when I look at a tapestry. Many of us are familiar with this image. The front is beautiful, but the back is a mess.

When I look at a tapestry, what I see is the finished piece of craftsmanship. The final product looks neat and tidy, but what happens if I turn it over? Would I be able to identify the image on the front based on what I see on the back? Are there loose ends? Is it just an unbelievable mess?

As I contemplate this, it occurs to me that many of us live our lives portraying the front side, the neat and tidy, "everything's OK" image. What would people see if they turned it over and were able to see the underside? It probably wouldn't be so pretty.

But it's the "messy" side of the tapestry—the hurts, the mistakes, the regrets—that can be woven together to provide hope and encouragement to others who have not yet gotten beyond the loose ends and tatters of their lives. We may manage to look like we have it all together, but like a tapestry, the underside tells a different story. Our lives are full of loose ends. At times, one of those ends might get snagged and the tapestry of our life may begin to unravel.

My passion is to encourage people to take the worn out tatters and loose ends of their lives and weave them into lives of new possibility.

By exposing my own loose ends I can help others examine the "messy" side of their tapestry and discover how God can use those loose ends to create a beautiful masterpiece.

My life is but a weaving,
between my God and me,
I do not choose the colors,
He worketh steadily.
Of times he weaveth sorrow,
and I in foolish pride
Forget He sees the upper, and I the underside.

Not till the loom is silent,
and the shuttles cease to fly,
Will God unroll the canvas,
and explain the reasons why
The dark threads are as needful
in the skillful weaver’s hand
As threads of gold and silver
in the pattern He has planned.

He knows, He loves, He cares,
nothing this truth can dim,
He gives His very best to those
who leave the choice with Him.

There are many ways you can actively become involved in making a difference in your world. Here are some ideas to get you started:

My daughter's third grade teacher collects aluminum cans and sells the cans to a recycler and donates the proceeds to the World Wildlife Federation. What a great idea!

I love to walk, and have noticed that there is trash EVERYWHERE. So I decided that while I walking I could also pick up cans and bottles. I have developed the keen eyes of a pelican diving for fish and can spot a dingy can half buried in the underbrush from paces away.

So when I walk, I slip my hands into a pair of rubber hospital gloves and gleefully fill up bag after bag and then rinse and recycle what I have collected.

My Garage has turned into a drop off point for various charities. I make my space and time available to collect items that my friends and others wish to donate. In turn, I deliver the donations to area charities, such as our local Pregnancy Care Center, House of Hope, Women's Shelter, and Good Samaritan Mission Center. I then provide the donor with a receipt that they can use for a tax deduction. It is win-win-win all the way around.

OK, I admit it. I am a Salvation Army Junkie. I LOVE shopping at ALL thrift stores and reveling over my bargain "du jour." The problem is, there is only so much stuff I can cram into my closets, and even with a layered look, only so many pieces of clothing can be worn at once.

The solution? To put my bargain happy inner personal shopper to work for others who can benefit from the purchases. It is not difficult to identify people or family with needs. If you are a parent, you usually don't need to look any farther than your child's class. Is there a family who struggles to make ends meet? You'd be amazed how many GAP and Old Navy items I come across for pennies on the dollar.

My favorite shopping day is Wednesday, because everything is half price at our local Sal Val!

Serving in Honduras without leaving the country, unless you want to! There are several ways you or your small group, Sunday School class or neighborhood can become involved in supporting children and families in one of the poorest countries in the world.

The MAMA Project, www.mamaproject.org, supports families in Honduraws through medical care, nutritional counseling, educational opportunities and promoting spiritual wholeness.

While service trips are scheduled several times a year, including medical and construction projects, it is possible to get involved by collecting articles to make up baby kits, health kits and school kits for the people of Honduras. For a list of component items, please visit: www.mamaproject.com and click on the "MAMA Needs" LINK.

At our church we receive a monthly birthday and anniversary calendar. If you get one, why not pay attention to it next time instead of tossing it? I can purchase greeting cards at our local Dollar Store in packs of ten for a dollar, and jot a couple of lines and then leave it in the appropriate mailbox come Sunday. It doesn't take long, gets you outside of yourself, and lights up the life of the recipient.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed individuals can change the world. Indeed, its the only thing that ever has." ~ Margaret Mead.

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.

He said, "My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"

Many of us are familiar with the story of a young boy walking along a beach and stooping to toss starfish after starfish back into the ocean, a seemingly endless task. In fact, as he quietly perseveres in his mission, he is interrupted by a man who rebuffs him for wasting his time, telling him he is foolish and that what he is doing is not making a difference.

I believe that each one of us can make a lasting difference in another's life, helping them to weave lives of new possibilities. In fact if we all would adopt the attitude of the young boy tossing starfish back into the ocean, I believe the world would be a much better place.

TAPESTRY MINISTRY FEATURE FAMILIES
Weaving lives of new possibility, one at a time

If you have been touched by any of these family's stories, you may make a donation to the ministry and designate which family you would like it to assist.

The money raised in support of these families will be used to meet tangible and practical needs which these families have such as phone cards, gas cards, clothing and assistance with day to day expenses, and occasional treats.

July 11, 1989. A tragedy occurred on this day that changed the lives of two families forever.

A car accident, a death, and two family's lives altered. Not only the victim's family, but the family of the young man, Steve Padula, who was driving the car that ran a red light that late July afternoon. That accident resulted in the death of an eleven-year-old girl.

Over a year later, Steve Padula was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to twenty-two years to life in prison. He has not been home since the night of the accident.

Yes, alcohol was involved. Yes, he admits to wrong doing. But intentional murder? No.

So far Steve has served seventeen years of his sentence, and his wife Linda has remained faithful and loyal to the man she loves, and with whom she has four children. She works as a personal care assistant to a woman with MS, which affords her no benefits, thus she has never been on a vacation with her kids because she can't afford the time off without pay.

Similar cases have been tried as Manslaughter, not Second Degree Murder, in which case Steve would have served his time and be home with his family, the second victim of this crime.

In another similar case, a Congressman and former Governor was arrested for Vehicular Homicide, and only served a sentence of 100 days. The disparity in sentencing is disappointing and frustrating, as are the reasons for certain cases being tried as Vehicular Manslaughter and Second Degree Murder.

I have been called to be salt and light to this family and am asking God to use me if He chooses to bring Steve home early to his family. He will need to serve his full sentence in New York (until 2011) before he is eligible for parole. At that point, his youngest children will be in high school, having spent their entire life growing up without a father.

I received the following card from Steve after meeting him and visiting him in prison:

I met Rita in the fall of 2004 when I went on a Western Caribbean cruise with my family. I love a good bargain, and I had found what I thought was an unbelievable price on this cruise: 7 days for $399 per adult, our two daughters were even less. So for a week we sailed and sunned, swam and sojourned, especially enjoying Roatan, Honduras.

I always enjoy meeting new people and talking to them, hearing about their lives and experiences.

Rita was our room steward for our cruise, and I noticed her eyes immediately. Her dark eyes communicated kindness, but also a sense of longing and sadness, especially as she spoke to our girls.

Rita and I began to speak, more than the cursory conversation of room steward to guest, but mother to mother. I asked about her: Where was she from? Did she have a family? How long had she worked aboard the cruise ship?

I discovered that Rita is Lithuanian, is married and has two children, a son Mantas, and a daughter Laura, who is a year younger than my older daughter.

As we continued our conversations I learned that her husband Jonas was injured in a car accident at the age of 17 in which he lost a leg. He has not been able to find a job in Lithuania, so Rita works a ten month contract aboard the cruise ship supporting her family. That explained the wistful look I saw in her eyes.

She only spends two months out of each year with her children and husband. The other ten months of the year are spent serving people who are on vacation.

I have been emailing Rita, and sending a small box of clothing to her daughter every couple of months. She was hoping to remain home, but has returned for another contract, writing, "You've asked me why I decided to go to work on the ship again?...It is the only one reason, because I alone in my family can provide a better life for them. As you know, my husband has no leg, so I went one more time to work on the ship, but it is not easy for me to stay so long away from my family."

People come to your life for a reason, season or lifetime. When you figure out which one it is, you will know what to do for each person.

It is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend, and they are! They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrongdoing on your part, or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered. And now it is time to move on.

Because your turn has come to share, grow, or learn. They bring you an experience of peace, or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never known. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it! It is real! But only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons: things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation.

Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person, and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.

If you have been touched by any of these family's stories, you may make a donation to the ministry and designate which family you would like it to assist.