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By: Rosanne Mondrone, Director of Community Relations at Mary Wade
The story of the Red Thread originated in Chinese mythology more or less as an explanation for why people are connected. The deity in charge of this myth was Yue Lao who was the lunar, matchmaker god. He believed that people were destined to marry their soul mates through a small red thread that was attached to our ankles, at birth, and brushes against the significant person we are meant to connect to for life. The color red symbolizes good luck or good fortune. Over the years the Asian folklore has evolved to more than just meeting one’s soul mate. It speaks about our fate as well as our connections with others. The story not only fascinates me but resonates with my spirit for many reasons.
The first time I heard the story of the Red Thread was at a memorial service at Mary Wade. A family member of a resident we were celebrating shared the story. She was a pastor in a small Connecticut town, very spiritual and I’m not sure how she knew of the Red Thread but she described it like this; at birth all of us are born with an invisible, red thread attached to our pinky finger. As we wander through life our threads brush against others, and we are forever connected to them. Her reflections included the long and devoted marriage of her parents and the connections their family made with Mary Wade.
Her story reminded me of one of my own connections. Years ago, while working on a project for Mary Wade I met a man that was a stranger to me. The instant I met him I felt a connection with him. He seemed familiar. Over the years we worked together and I met his family. They felt like my family. I became close to his wife, his sister and his parents. When his mother died at Mary Wade, she died on the same day my mother died 40 years earlier. We were both very close to our mothers. As the Celestine Prophecy, another psychological and spiritual idea, rooted in ancient eastern traditions, would say there are no coincidences, so is it the Red Thread? I’m sure we can all think of people who we randomly meet and with whom we develop a strong connection.
Over the past year we have seen many changes to the Mary Wade leadership team. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected our industry in ways people cannot even imagine. We have re-evaluated our lives and our priorities. In those evaluations people have made changes for their families, personal health and happiness. We know these leaders were with us for a reason. We are stronger and brighter because of them. They have contributed to our victories and shared in our deepest moments of sadness. They will move forward brushing their red threads along to others on their journey.
During this season of gratitude and love we find ourselves incredibly thankful for their wisdom and gifts. We are grateful for the time they have given us. The sacrifices they made over this past year overwhelm us and we are victorious today because of their efforts. The Red Thread that brought them to us, will connect them to others, who will be as blessed as we were by them. Now others take their places and contribute new gifts and talents.
As the Celestine Prophecy teaches us, “We’re not alone on our paths. When we focus on giving others energy, we’ll attract like-minded people who come to aid us on our journey, and people who share a similar purpose and mission in life.
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