An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but will never break." 
–An ancient Chinese belief

Life comes full circle. This thought comes to mind while I spend a few precious days with my dear, elderly mom. There are lovely patterns that manifest in life. Nature’s intricate designs create a connection between the individual and the whole, the cell and the cosmos,  the I and thou of relationships, the symmetry of snowflake to the wonder of a starlit night. In the turning of seasons we receive the story of creation in the miracle of birth, the sadness of letting go and in the blessings of new life, and so it goes.

Perhaps, too this is why I find meaningful expression in drawing mandalas (Sanskrit word for sacred circle.) In 1998, during a visit to my mom, I seemingly stumbled upon a book by Carl Jung but looking back I recognize it as a synchronous moment.  The colorful mandalas drawn by his patients and Jung himself really caught my attention. Something welled up from deep within and I knew that I would draw mandalas throughout the rest of my life.

The picture above is one of my early mandalas drawn with magic markers and colored pencils. I drew it for my mom. I had not drawn since high school and my mother’s love of my designs nurtured my newly found, heartfelt intention.

This journey has led me here to you and I am grateful to share in the unending stories unfolding somewhere in the middle and leaving us with the mystery of a question rather than any finite answer, and therein lies the Beauty. You are a sacred prayer.

Liz Sorensen Wessel