Monday Morning Inspiration/Connection

Life lessons always seem to be learned in difficult times.

Twice in my life my mouth has been wired shut. The first time was so that my bones could heal from a tumor being removed from my jaw. The second was after the reconstructive surgery that was needed to rebuild my face from the damage that the tumor and the removal of it had caused. All of my meals had to be liquid. During that period of time, I could smell food as it cooked, and although the food had been liquefied, I could taste. But what I learned was that the joy of eating actually comes from being able to chew food. As time went on, I ate less and less, I simply lost the desire to eat. 

Over the last 2 weeks, I've learned that so much of the human experience of  joy comes from being with others, sharing experiences. I miss that I cannot invite friends for dinner, sit in a packed theater and watch a movie, get together with my sewing friends, go to a restaurant, and the list goes on. Thankfully, we do have the internet which gives us the opportunity to connect. A diferent connection, but connection  nonetheless. 

I receive a wonderful newsletter from an organization called CrossRoads. Here's a little about them and their mission;

Travel with us on ClothRoads to a world of authentic textile culture. Here you’ll find folk and collectible textiles, accessories, fabric, and fiber art materials from many corners of the globe, along with fascinating stories of indigenous artisans and ancient techniques used in traditional and modern ways.
From the rivers of India to the mountaintops of Peru, we go directly to villages and cooperatives to bring you these textile stories and the work of skilled artisans who are dyeing, weaving, spinning, printing and embroidering some of world’s most beautiful objects. When you purchase from ClothRoads, you help us to build and develop new markets that allow artisans and communities, especially women and girls, to flourish.

In their most recent newsletter, rather than link to galleries and museum exhibitions, CrossRoads linked to some wonderful videos that I thought you too might enjoy.

The first is about a silk marbling technique that is being used for Hermes scarves.

This wonderful clip is about Abdelkader Ouazzani, Morocco's last Brocade weaver.

Have you ever wondered what happens to our cast off clothing? I saw this piece a while back and found it to be fascinating. It is 13 minutes well spent.



And finally, a full length movie, but well worth your time.

In the remote Andean highlands of Peru, Victoriano Arisapana cares for the woven footbridge that has stretched over the gorge for hundreds of years. The secrets of this bridge, the only one left from the ancient Incan empire, have been passed down by the men of Victoriano's family for 300 years. Victoriano is the Bridge Master, the one who has inherited the sacred task of weaving the bridge and of making the sacrificial offerings to the mountain spirits each year. But his sons are drawn to life in the city and his daughter is prohibited from this male-only tradition. When she goes missing a week before the start of 9th grade, this Andean farmer must confront an uncertain future, caught between preserving family tradition and losing his children to a world of change.

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/thebridgemastersdaughter

This is a rental, but only $3.99.   

Although we are unable to be together in person, I think this is a wonderful time to discover others and enrich our minds. And then, when this is all over, and we can once again come together, we'll have so much more to share. 
If you would like to receive the ClothRoads newsletter, you can find the signup HERE. 
Rhonda