There’s a thread you follow. It goes among
things that change. But it doesn’t change.
People wonder what you are pursuing.
You have to explain about the thread.
But it is hard for others to see.
While you hold it you can’t get lost.
Tragedies happen; people get hurt
or die; you suffer and get old.
Nothing you can do can stop time’s unfolding.
You never let go of the thread.
~William Stafford

Last week I went to see the Botticelli exhibit at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. To imagine these amazing paintings and sculptures traveling from the Uffizzi Gallery in Florence boggles my mind. How do you even pack such treasures?! It was a stunning and beautiful exhibit and reminded me once again about the enduring nature of humans. The last years have been challenging and, on some days, we have seen some of the ways those of us who walk upright can be less than what we were created to be. Seeing this art, created so long ago, reminded me once again of the long line of ancestors on whose shoulders we stand. Over the hundreds of years since these artworks have been in the world much has happened that is tragic and much has happened that infuses the world with beauty and lifts us up to the greater good. It is the way of life.

Standing in front of a sculpture that dates back 2000 years, I wondered at all that it had been witness to over the years. The faces of the women have been worn away with time…except one…who continues to look down in her dance(?) and the features of her face give us a glimpse into her time. What did the artist hope to communicate in this work? Who were these women? What were their lives like? Being the young country that we are it is so easy to believe we are the pinnacle and forget all that has gone before. I believe we do this at our peril. To be in the presence of something that has held ‘onto the thread’ for so long brought me a sense of comfort and hope. 

I have been privileged to see amazing places and beautiful art that has transcended the upheavals and the triumphs of countries, of generations. To see the actual signature of an artist that became known and appreciated only after their death can give us the courage to make, to do, to speak, to act because we never really know how what we bring into the world will contribute in a way we never imagined. Sometimes we have to explain ourselves at the same time knowing we may not be understood. Yet, ‘we follow the thread.’ 

As we enter this week when we offer gratitude for so much, I will be lifting a quiet voice for the artists that have been vigilant through time. The artists whose work allows me to glimpse a time gone by… who survived the trials of their time. The artists who chose to bring their voice of beauty and truth into the world without knowing if anyone would ever appreciate it. The artists who knew they could do ‘nothing to stop time’s unfolding’ yet held onto the thread until it could be passed to those of us in this millennium, this century, this decade, this day, this moment. For these and for all who continue to create, I offer thanksgiving and make a silent promise to hold onto the thread.