The 2017 Weaving Kind Makerie at the Colorado Chautauqua in Boulder, CO offered weavers from across the globe a once in a lifetime opportunity to learn and build community with one another. What a special experience to see and be a part of new friendships and community bonds being built. Those bonds were forged with small gestures of kindness, simple words of encouragement, and the sharing of personal stories. The resulting community built during the retreat was such an achingly beautiful thing to be a part of. It outshined even the most beautiful Colorado sunset.
The retreat also offered me a first-time experience. I have never encountered being a part of a community that so easily understood my passion and reflected that passion back to me. That experience is a gift that I will always be grateful for. How often in our lives do we get the chance to be so unapologetically ourselves? As a male weaver who frequently elicits curiosity, chuckles and bewilderment, I tried to soak up every minute of being able to just be myself. I have never been so sure of my weaving path than when I left the foothills of the flatirons to re-enter the real world. The experiences as a whole set my world on fire and left me full: full of inspiration, full of ideas, and full of love.
Above all the new works of art created, love may be the most important product of the first Weaving Kind Makerie. Ali of The Makerie reminded me during the retreat that our world needs more of these small gatherings of kind, gentle, and thoughtful people. Since the retreat, I have been full of that gentle white light of love that was radiating out of our gathering. I sent that love out into the world. The world needs our love, our curiosity, and our ability to be present. There has always been and will always be darkness. However, our love and radical generosity will always drive that darkness out of the corners of our world. I refuse to believe that hate and competition defines humanity with shining examples of our community still present. To me, weavers will always exhibit some of the best features of the human tapestry.
I will close with an appeal to our community until we can be together again next year. May we continue to walk the same path, may our art sing the same refrain, and may we continue to gather each year to be the gentle, flickering flame of love our world so needs.