Interwoven

I snapped this part of a stone cross, probably 1,000 years old. It speaks of a time when craftmanship was valued by society and was a form of public art before we re-invented the term. At one level, it is simplicity itself, a set of interwoven threads. At another level, it points to many hours of tedious chiseling, fine edge work, and an eye for detail. The craftsman saw in a block of granite the genesis of a piece of art, hidden in plain view to others who did not share that gift. It is the same stone, but with skill it is now transformed into a thing of beauty. It struck me that we pass by so many things, ignore so many people because we see only what they are now and not what they might become. To be part of that transformation is a gift and is a risk. But, I feel, is one worth taking is we are to help develop a more interwoven and shared society.