Tapestry

A long time ago I had to say a few words at a farewell luncheon honoring a good friend who was moving away. I remember comparing our lives to tapestries, woven together to form a beautiful piece of art. Now, all these years later, that analogy seems even more fitting for a town like East Hampton - the community I love.

When I toured Europe years ago I was fascinated with the huge tapestries that hung along the hallways of the beautiful castles dotting the landscape in England. They are marvels of handwork and represent hours and hours of labor. I see East Hampton, like so many communities around the world, as one huge tapestry begun over 360 years ago and still in the process of being being completed by the people who love and live in it as I do. I see each of us as a thread, woven in and out, forming individual images that are part of the whole - intertwined in such a way that it can't possibly have the same effect standing alone. Yet if any one were missing the whole would be less beautiful for it. Among the many forms and colors are exceptional threads of gold and silver, and others of such vibrant color that that stand out in stark relief. It's an amazing piece of art, made possible only through the work of so many loving hands. We weave our threads around each other and the work becomes strong and durable - strength in numbers and unity.

When I stand back and look at the tapestry that forms this community I see the times we've held each other together when a weakness in one thread needed re-enforcement by the others, weaving a strong safety net around it. I also see the places where one wonderful thread, in conjunction with others, stands out by forming a particularly beautiful image. Or perhaps it highlights another image by it's outline or special highlighting. We truly are each a piece of the whole, one of many and yet so vital to the finished product.

What a wonderful way to see East Hampton, by stepping back and seeing not just the spot where our own threads are constantly weaving in and out, back and forth, but rather taking in the entire piece - in all its wonder and beauty. Truly a piece of art.